Court dismisses urgent bid to stop cardiologist’s Tiktok videos

THE Pietermaritzburg High Court has struck an urgent application off the roll after a former patient sought an order preventing his cardiologist from publishing Tiktok videos that allegedly disclosed his private medical information.

Jeffrey Chetty approached the court last month seeking an urgent interdict against his former cardiologist, Dr Ntando Duze, to stop the publication of videos he claimed violated his privacy and contained defamatory allegations.

Dr Duze treated Chetty at Life Westville Hospital in March 2025. Chetty later sought a second opinion from another specialist at ethekwini Hospital and alleges that the treatment he received from Dr Duze fell below the required standard of care.

In court papers, Chetty alleged that Dr Duze had posted a series of Tiktok videos containing defamatory statements about him and asked the court to order their removal.

According to Chetty, the videos portrayed him as a criminal evading investigations, accused him of sexually harassing a female patient and linked

him to the killing of a sheriff.

Opposing the application, Dr Duze said the videos were made in response to allegations aired against him during a Carte Blanche broadcast on July 27, 2025.

In his affidavit, Dr Duze argued that

Chetty had voluntarily placed his personal and medical information in the public domain by participating in the television programme and discussing the treatment he had received.

“The applicant’s personal and medical information was voluntarily placed in the public domain by the applicant in the Carte Blanche episode,” Dr Duze stated in his affidavit.

He also challenged the urgency of the application, arguing that Chetty failed to disclose when he first became aware of the 10 Tiktok videos, which were published on various dates from May 3, 2026.

During the hearing, Advocate Credo Mlaba, representing Dr Duze, told the court that Chetty’s letter of demand was sent on June 1, 2026, but the urgent application was only filed on June 17.

Mlaba argued that the delay was inconsistent with the urgency claimed by Chetty.

“It has been more than 29 days since the first alleged defamatory Tiktok was posted. Therefore, these proceedings cannot be deemed urgent,” he submitted.

Mlaba further argued that Chetty had consented to the publication of his personal and medical information during the Carte Blanche interview and that the information had been in the public domain since July 2025.

“The Tiktok videos made by the respondent were, therefore, a direct response to Carte Blanche. Even if the order is granted, the information is already out on Carte Blanche,” Mlaba argued.

He also disputed Chetty’s assertion that the videos depicted him as a criminal.

For Chetty, Advocate Camish Gajoo argued that his client’s consent was limited to the broadcast by Carte Blanche and did not extend to private individuals republishing or discussing his medical information.

“The benefits of public interest enjoyed by Carte Blanche as journalists cannot be enjoyed by a private person. The applicant’s consent was narrow,” Gajoo submitted.

Addressing the issue of urgency, Gajoo argued that the seriousness of the videos escalated over time, prompting Chetty to seek legal advice and investigate the matter before approaching the court.

The High Court ultimately struck the application from the urgent roll, ruling that Chetty had failed to demonstrate the level of urgency required for the matter to be heard on an expedited basis.

The court did not determine merits of the underlying dispute.