A 39-year-old man, Reshal Dayanand, appeared in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Wednesday, facing charges of fraud, forgery, contravening the Health Professions Act, and contravening the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. Dayanand allegedly used a fraudulent medical degree to register as a doctor and work as an intern at Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. He was released on warning and the matter was postponed to November 19, 2026.
According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, Dayanand was a University of KwaZulu-Natal student from 2007 to 2015 but did not complete his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree. He was academically excluded in 2013 due to poor performance but was re-admitted in 2015 at the dean's discretion. However, Dayanand allegedly failed to complete one outstanding module required for the degree.
Despite not completing the degree, Dayanand allegedly managed to fraudulently register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a doctor. He was subsequently placed as an intern doctor at Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg in 2016. During his time as an intern, Dayanand earned R637,087.75.
Dayanand is accused of colluding with an unidentified UKZN official to generate a fraudulent academic record showing that he had passed all the required modules. Police also allege that a fraudulent MBChB degree certificate was generated, despite Dayanand not attending a graduation ceremony. The matter was reported to the Hawks in Durban, which conducted an intensive, prosecution-guided investigation.
Relevant stakeholders were consulted during the investigation and confirmed that Dayanand had not met the requirements for the MBChB degree prescribed by UKZN, according to police. This resulted in Dayanand being criminally charged. The investigation was guided by prosecution and involved consultations with relevant stakeholders.
KZN Acting Provincial Head Brigadier Zenobia Mulligan welcomed the arrest and commended the investigating team for its work. Dayanand's case highlights the importance of verifying academic qualifications, particularly in the medical field. The HPCSA and UKZN are likely to face scrutiny for their roles in the alleged fraud.
The case has been postponed to November 19, 2026, and Dayanand will have to appear in court again on that date. His release on warning suggests that the court considers him a flight risk or that there is a possibility of tampering with evidence. The outcome of the case will be closely watched by the medical community and the general public.
Key points
- Dayanand earned R637,087.75 during his time as an intern at Northdale Hospital.
- Dayanand allegedly colluded with a UKZN official to generate a fraudulent academic record.
- The case has been postponed to November 19, 2026.
