Controversial content creator Matthew Lani is demanding damages of R9-million from Minister of Police Bheki Cele for his alleged unlawful arrest, detainment and denial of chronic medication while he was in police custody in October last year.
In a letter of demand dated March 8, 2024, addressed to Cele, and compiled by his lawyers from Sithi and Thabela Attorneys Inc, Lani said he suffered physical and psychological harm due to his arrest at Helen Joseph Hospital, in Johannesburg, on October 29 last year. Lani said there was no reasonable grounds for his detainment by police. He said police denied him access to his chronic medication when he asked for it during his detainment.
“Our client [Lani] was unlawfully arrested by members of the South African Police Service stationed at Brixton, [by] SAPS members whose names and ranks are unknown to our client. It is our instructions that our client was arrested without an arrest warrant after he was maliciously and wrongfully apprehended by security personnel at Helen Joseph Hospital.
“Our client was arrested on fallacious charges of impersonating a medical doctor, which were later withdrawn.
“It is our instructions that our client was held in custody or detention by the SAPS until the 31st of October 2023 on which date the charges were withdrawn by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) against our client,” read the letter.
“We are advised that at the time of the arrest, our client was in possession of his chronic medication, which was capriciously seized by the SAPS. At the time of the arrest, our client had painstakingly communicated the following concerns to the SAPS which were met with blatant disregard: that he is suffering physical and psychological trauma from injuries he sustained as a result of an assault by the security personnel at Helen Joseph Hospital; that he suffers chronic illness and that he needed to take his chronic medication which was seized by the SAPS and which the SAPS denied him access to; that he is innocent of the charges levelled against him.
Lani said that as a result of the arrest and detention, he suffered contumelia, physical and psychological harm.
He also said that his personal dignity and reputation were also impaired. “It is, therefore, our instruction to claim the amount of R9-million…”
The R9-million demanded consists of R1-million for unlawful arrest, R2-million for unlawful detention, R1-million for general damages and R5-million for special damages. Lani said Cele had been given until May 8 to compensate him and threatened to issue a summons should the demand not be met.
Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said the minister had yet to receive the letter when Sunday World sought the ministry’s comment this week.
Lani is also demanding R9-million from the private security company that was on duty at Helen Joseph Hospital.
Lani made headlines last year when he allegedly impersonated a medical doctor and recorded a series of videos on TikTok.
In the videos, he could be heard and seen curating content in hospital corridors.
He appeared at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court in October, and the NPA decided not to enrol the case because it said it did not have evidence to sustain the charge.
The Hawks had completed their investigations and had sent the docket to the director of public prosecutions for a decision, said Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale.
