South Africa's youngest doctor keeps one little secret -- his age

SANDILE Kubheka often lies about his age to comfort sceptical patients who think he is far too young to be a doctor.

"If patients ask, I don't tell them I'm 21. I say I'm 25 or something," said South Africa's youngest doctor.

He has become used to patients looking at him suspiciously and asking his age.

On the surface, Kubheka - whose nickname at university was "neonate", a term that refers to a newborn baby - is a typical 21-year-old.

He is an avid Facebook and Twitter user, regularly checks his iPhone, goes to gym and loves soccer and reality TV.

However, he is in a reality far from typical.

Kubheka started school aged five and was promoted from Grade 6 to Grade 7 after three months. He finished matric at Siyamukela High School in Newcastle when he was 15, and started studying medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal weeks after his 16th birthday.

He graduated from the university's Nelson Mandela medical school last year, when he was 20. He was the youngest medical graduate in the university's history.

Kubheka's first day at Grey's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg was on December 31, a day before his 21st birthday.

"I took a picture of the stamp which had 'Dr S Kubheka' on it and posted it on Facebook. That was when I realised that this wasn't a dream and that I had a huge responsibility," he said.

He remembers his first patient and the first prescription he wrote. "[The patient] came in and a week later he was discharged. It felt really good to get [the prescription] right. I felt that at least I wouldn't kill anybody," he said.

His mother, Khanyezile Kubheka, said she never doubted his ability. "I always thought he would be successful. Ever since he was young he was brilliant. It's incredible and I thank God for everything ," she said.

Kubheka praised his mother for his success, saying that whatever he needed for school, university or at home was always provided. His high school teachers, he said, became "my family away from home".

It was his Zulu teacher, Nomsa Butale, who convinced Kubheka to become a doctor.

"He wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do, but I encouraged him to do medicine. I knew that because of his dedication he would be successful," she said.

Kubheka said he knew he had made the right decision about two weeks into his studies.

"I was loving every task and every subject. I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life."

Kubheka dreams of returning to Newcastle after completing his two-year stint at Grey's Hospital. "That's where I'm from and I want to give back to that community ," he said.