Cape Town – Two unregistered medical practitioners operating in Philippi and Stellenbosch in the Western Cape have been arrested.
Dr. Rasheed Fareed Mahfouz and Ilunga Nzabadi were arrested after an intelligence-driven operation conducted by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) Inspectorate Office in conjunction with the members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Prevention and Crime Intelligence Units.
“Dr. Rasheed Fareed Mahfouz was found practising as a locum whilst erased from the HPCSA register in 2015 in terms of Section 42(1)(c) of the Health Professions Act,” the HPCSA said on Tuesday in a statement.
“During the operation, it was established that Dr. Augustus, a registered practitioner, employed Dr. Mahfouz in his practice.”
Dr. Mahfouz appeared in court on 17 February 2023, and he was remanded in custody.
He will appear again on Thursday, 23 February 2023 for a bail hearing.
Registration with the HPCSA is a pre-requisite for professional practice, and it is also a legal requirement to keep all personal details up to date at all times.
The HPCSA said in another operation its inspectorate office and the Kayamandi SAPS conducted a joint inspection in Stellenbosch, where Nzabadi (Congolese citizen) was found practising as a medical practitioner while not registered with Council.
“During the operation, it was also further established that Dr. Bholat, a registered practitioner, employed Mr. Ilunga Nzabadi in his practice since November 2022,” said HPCSA.
“Mr. Ilunga Nzabadi was arrested and taken to Stellenbosch SAPS for being in contravention of Section 17(1) of the Health Professions Act.
“The two registered medical practitioners have been reported to the HPCSA Complaints Handling Unit for misconduct.”
