No ‘existing record’ of matric certificate for ‘Dr’ Matthew Lani – Gauteng education dept

• The Gauteng education department says it has no record of a matric certificate for Matthew Bongani Lani. 
• Lani, who garnered a significant social media following by posing as a doctor, has been reported to the police.
• Wits University and the SA Medical Association also denied any affiliation with Lani.

There is no existing record of a National Senior Certificate or matric certificate for Matthew Bongani Lani, the Gauteng education department said on Wednesday.

In a statement, department spokesperson Steve Mabona said its records indicated Lani was initially enrolled at Bordeaux Primary School in Randburg in 2007.

However, he was referred to the Gresswold Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) School in Kew, Johannesburg, in January 2010.

“This followed an evaluation at the time, which determined that his academic performance dictated that he be transferred to an LSEN school,” Mabona said.

He added Lani’s academic journey at Gresswold ended in September 2012.

But he re-emerged in the department’s systems in 2016, where he wrote three subjects at the Fourways Adult Centre as a part-time candidate. He only passed one of those subjects.

Mabona said:

Lani developed a staggering following on social media platforms, claiming to be a doctor employed by the Gauteng Department of Health. 

The department has opened a criminal case of impersonating a doctor and it is now being investigated by the police. 

READ | Wits and HPCSA suggest the only real thing about TikTok’s Dr Matthew is his stethoscope

Lani’s supposed alma mater, the University of the Witwatersrand, disavowed him and insisted he did not graduate from the institution. 

Meanwhile, the SA Medical Association said Lani’s case had “brought to light the alarming prevalence of individuals falsely representing themselves as qualified medical professionals, endangering the wellbeing of unsuspecting patients”.