Controversial content creator Matthew Lani walked out of the Johannesburg magistrate’s court a free man on Tuesday morning.
This after Lani was apprehended by security guards at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg on Sunday evening and handed over to police.
Lani was charged with impersonating a medical doctor after he recorded a series of videos on TikTok curating content in the hospital’s corridors.
Lani’s lawyer Dumisani Mabunda said the state has no case against his client, as he was only creating content.
Content is purely for entertainment
Mabunda said his client’s content is purely for entertainment, stating that Lani is not a qualified medical practitioner.
“Fortunately we have wise prosecutors who looked at the docket and concurred with us that there is no case against him and, as a result, the charges have been withdrawn,” he said.
He further said there will be further investigation if there are new developments on the matter, noting that the case might be reinstated at a later stage.
“For now, there is no complainant who came forward and said he consulted him as a doctor. The hospital should have banned him from entering the premises,” Mabunda said.
Lazy journalism
Speaking with the media outside court, Lani said he is disappointed by the level of lazy journalism displayed by the media.
“My fans have been supportive from day one, they’ve been amazing and the naysayers will always talk, people are opinionated,” he said.
“I am just happy that the case got withdrawn. I will evaluate my content creation going forward because I love HIV/Aids education. Maybe I will do things differently.”
He revealed that the Gauteng department of health used him for a campaign fully aware that he was not a medical doctor, but an influential HIV/Aids activist.
He refused to comment on the crutches he was using to walk, and the degree he displayed to thousands of his TikTok followers.
