A Nigerian man, Aberie Nwafor has been arrested in South Africa for using fake qualifications to practise as a “doctor” in a government hospital for years.

Nwafor was said to have arrived in South Africa 15 years ago and was arrested Nov. 6 for using fake qualifications to find a job as a doctor at a Limpopo government hospital.

Nwafor’s wife, Amara was also arrested and he was found in possession of 14 fake passports.

Last Monday, he appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate Court on charges of fraud, corruption and violation of South African immigration laws.

Reacting to Nwafor’s court appearance, Dr Sizeka Maweya of the South African Medical Association (Sama) warned the problem was widespread.

Maweya said: “The Health Professional council is failing us, now we check those foreign doctors from countries such as Nigeria personally, but the problem is that we don’t have capacity, but now SAMA (South African Medical Association) has said ‘let us be the ones who vet them, because we understand the trade’.”

Maweya said Sama had in the past helped the health department to remove two Nigerian “doctors” suspected of using fake qualifications from the Musina hospital and in Waterberg, also in Limpopo.

Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba put the blame on Health Professional Council officials for failing to properly vet these “doctors”.

“Most of these foreign doctors know nothing, even some nurses are better than this foreign doctors,” Maweya claimed.