In the age of bogus doctor Matthew Lani, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Cape Town has been thrust into a similar scandal involving councillor Abdulkader Elyas’ questionable medical qualifications.
Abdulkader Elyas medical qualifications under scrutiny
While the dust has barely settled on the arrest of Matthew Lani for his fake doctor scam, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Cape Town is entangled in its own qualifications scandal.
As reported by News24, the party is investigating Abdulkader Elyas, a proportional ward councillor, who is accused of falsely claiming to possess medical qualifications.
The probe into Elyas gained momentum after he won a seat as an additional member of the Cape Town metro’s executive council. This advancement raised concerns within the party, particularly because of his rapid rise through the ranks since 2021.
Insiders in the DA questioned the authenticity of his qualifications, thus initiating the current investigation.
Information trickling in from the DA’s investigation revealed that Elyas was registered as a medical student at one point but failed to progress to becoming a qualified medical practitioner.
On his LinkedIn profile, Elyas stated that he was a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT) between 2015 and 2018, studying for a Bachelor of Business Science in actuarial science.
He also claimed to have attended UCT’s medical school from 2013 to 2018. Elyas even showed up at a party selection panel in 2021 wearing medical scrubs, purporting to have just returned from a hospital call.
UCT has since confirmed that Elyas holds no such qualifications, and the HPCSA stated that he is not registered as a medical professional.
DA spokesperson Richard Newton confirmed the internal investigation, stating:
“I can confirm that there is currently an internal investigation underway, and the DA will conduct it according to our policies and systems.”
Matthew Lani was arrested in a sting operation conducted by Helen Joseph Hospital’s security team on Sunday. He was caught attempting to enter the hospital disguised in a hoodie, surgical mask, and stethoscope.
This was not his first time entering the facility under the pretence of being a qualified doctor; he had previously been in the hospital to produce misleading content.