Indian-Origin South African Man Uses Fake Degree To Work As Medical Intern

Reshal Dayanand faced counts of forgery, fraud, and violations of both the Health Professions Act and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.

04 Oct 2026, 01:44 · NDTV

A 39-year-old South African of Indian descent has been charged with using fake medical credentials to register as a physician and work as a medical intern at a hospital in Pietermaritzburg.

During his initial appearance in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Wednesday, Reshal Dayanand faced counts of forgery, fraud, and violations of both the Health Professions Act and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.

He was released on a warning.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo confirmed to local daily The Witness that the case has been adjourned until November 19, 2026.

According to Mhlongo, Dayanand attended the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) between 2007 and 2015 without finishing his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree.

Although academically excluded in 2013 due to failing grades, he was readmitted in 2015 via dean's discretion, yet still failed to pass one final required module.

Despite lacking the degree, Dayanand allegedly registered illicitly with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and landed an internship at Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg in 2016.

Authorities allege he conspired with an unnamed UKZN official to forge an academic transcript indicating he had completed all coursework, as well as a fake MBChB degree certificate, even though he never graduated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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