She was a kind person but secretive about her family – and often boasted about the perks of being a medical doctor.
This is how an employee described a Cape Town woman who duped Johannesburg residents into believing she was a pulmonologist.
Sonnet-Mari Brand “practised” as a doctor for more than five months. Now she will spend Christmas behind bars: she first disappeared after being granted bail, then claimed a policeman with an “African surname” promised to make her case go away for R30,000.
She was based in the Springs area on Johannesburg’s East Rand, where she prescribed scheduled medications and conducted house visits for patients. This as she operated two “practices” in different locations under the name of an existing doctor.
She was arrested at the end of October after the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) received complaints about her, according to its spokesperson Eric Mphaphuli.
The 35-year-old was released on R4,000 bail a day after her arrest. She later forfeited the bail to the state after a no-show at court and an arrest warrant was issued.
When she returned to court on November 5, she alleged she had received a call from a police captain with an “African surname” who promised to make the case disappear for R30,000.
But the court discarded her claims and denied her bail on November 6.
Court records show Brand lied under oath about previous convictions. Investigating officer Sergeant Leah Mtsweni revealed she had two previous convictions, both committed in the Western Cape.
She made a brief court appearance again on Wednesday, when the matter was postponed to January 14.
Dressed in a red and black dress, Brand maintained eye contact with the magistrates and reporters who photographed the proceedings before she sat down.
Prosecutor Lindiwe Gumede told the court the state needed at least three weeks to conclude investigations in the matter. She said it was missing four statements – two from witnesses and two from property owners where she rented her practices under the name of an existing doctor.
Gumede said Brand faced counts of fraud and contravening sections of the Health Professions Act. She could not rule out the possibility of more charges being added.
A source close to the investigation told Sunday Times Daily that since Brand’s arrest, several people who fell victim to her treatments have come forward, including a woman who claims her mother was misdiagnosed, resulting in one of her limbs being amputated.
Sunday Times Daily visited the house where Brand lived and where she was arrested. Here, a woman who worked with her every day described her as a “kind person”.
“There was nothing suspicious about her – except when she was questioned about her family, then she was very secretive.”
She would often brag about the “perks” of being a doctor.
“We never suspected anything at first until she started being untruthful about many things. She could not contribute towards groceries and came up with different excuses including different dates of getting paid and different stories about her family.”
Brand’s Facebook page shows limited activity. Her profile shows she attended Brackenfell High School, where she matriculated in 2002.
In her previous interactions with law enforcement officials, she said she had worked at at least one Gauteng hospital, a claim the provincial health department refuted.
“The facility has no record of the appointment of this doctor, either as a sessional doctor or on a full-time basis. The police are looking into the matter,” said spokesperson Kwara Kekana.
The HPCSA is investigating more than 100 reports involving bogus doctors.
“We have seen quite an increase in the number of people who are practising illegally. In this financial year, we saw over 20 being arrested.
“We also have over 100 that we are investigating and verifying, some of which we have already reported to the police, and are waiting for arrests to be made.”
“We have since embarked on awareness campaigns to try to protect the public from falling victims to such practices,” said Mphaphuli.
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