False Physician Matthew Lani is Suing the Department of Health for R9 Million

Matthew Lani, a fake physician, sues the Department of Health for R9,000,000

ZiMoja reports that Matthew Bongani Lani, a well-known TikToker and pretend physician who was detained in October of last year for pretending to be a doctor, is suing the Gauteng Department of Health, claiming that the security officers at the Helen Joseph Tertiary hospital “manhandled” him. The fake doctor, who had almost 300,000 followers on TikTok before his account was deleted, has given his attorneys the go-ahead to file a lawsuit against the department for what they believe to be “unlawful and malicious arrest and detention” committed by hospital guards last year.

ZiMoja obtained a letter from Lani requesting R9 million in damages from the department. It says this: “We have been informed that on or around October 29, 2023, our client was forcibly and illegally arrested and held by security staff from Potlako Security & Cleaning Services, who are based at Helen Joseph Hospital. Our client is unaware of the identities of these staff members. We have instructed that our client was unlawfully and cruelly taken into custody at Helen Joseph Hospital without a warrant.ZiMoja was informed by Lani’s attorneys that a summons will be issued to the department shortly. Attorney Phathutshedzo Owen Sithi of SNT Attorneys stated that their client has given them the go-ahead to sue the department. “What you have seen is a draft of our letter of demand and we are waiting for our client to approve it so we can serve the department as per his instructions,” Sithi stated. The seamless operation Since his initial TikTok account shutdown, Lani has amassed 50,000 followers.