Bogus doctor arrested in Mpumalanga

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A bogus doctor from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was arrested in Embalenhle, Mpumalanga, after allegedly posing as a medical doctor.

This incident follows a compliance inspection conducted by a Health Inspector at a local medical practice.

The inspector paid a visit to the surgery that operated under the name of a registered medical doctor (the suspect) in Extension 7.

BOGUS DOCTOR ARRESTED AFTER ADMITTING HE IS NOT REGISTERED WITH HPCSA

Upon arrival, the inspector entered the consultation room of the suspect, where he found him conducting medical consultations and questioned him.

During the questioning, the 36-year-old suspect, Jonathan Ilungwa Kilimba, produced five patient files to “prove” he was a real doctor.

However, when asked whether he was registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to confirm he was a registered doctor, he confessed that he was not registered with the organisation.

Kilimba was immediately arrested and detained at Embalenhle SAPS for violating the Health Professions Act.

This also prompted investigations to check the authenticity of his asylum documentation since he is a foreign national.

The suspect is expected to appear before the Evander Magistrate’s Court on 17 June 2025, over charges of impersonating a healthcare professional.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, urged the public to verify the credentials of medical practitioners before consulting.

“We urge the public to always verify the credentials of medical professionals before consulting them. The SAPS remains committed to protecting the public from unqualified individuals who put lives at risk by operating illegally,” pleaded Mkhwanazi.

MUTHI ROBBERS ARRESTED IN VERULAM, KZN

Four suspects were arrested after using muthi to rob people in Verulam CBD, KZN, on Friday, 13 June 2025.

The four suspects, two men and two women, are also linked to committing this crime in other areas.

According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the female suspects would approach people and start a conversation to kick things off.

During the conversation, the suspects would smear muthi on the victim’s arm and convince them to enter their vehicle.

The muthi would make the victims feel weak and disorientated, which affected their thinking abilities.

RUSA explained, “They would drive off with their male accomplices and the victims would be robbed of their valuables before being dumped on the side of the road.”

A silver VW Polo used in the crime was seized.

A victim who chose to remain anonymous was also a victim of this incident and had her phone stolen while visiting the mall.
She says that she was waiting for her mother outside a bank at the mall when a man suddenly bumped his shoulder against hers, smearing the muthi on her.

A few moments after the incident, while still trying to process what happened, an old woman came to her and told her that the man who just bumped into her put muthi on her so she should follow her to get help.

“I responded to her, and everything changed. It was like an out-of-body experience, I felt numb, yet aware of everything around me. I couldn’t move or respond except when they told me to. The next thing I knew, I was in their car. I don’t know how I got there. Luckily, I had no money on me,” she recalled.

She adds that the woman then instructed her to perform certain rituals to remove the muthi.

While she was distracted and dizzy, they quickly swapped her phone with a fake one.

She says, “They then told me to get out of the car and urinate on my hand. After 30 minutes, I was told to apply the urine on my face to remove the muthi.”

The victim says that she went to the security officers at the mall to tell them about what just transpired but when they searched for the suspects, they had long left the mall.

After this experience, she says that she no longer feels safe to travel alone and does not trust anyone.