DA cuts ties with ‘bogus doctor’ Abdulkader Elyas ahead of elections

Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has terminated the membership of Cape Town councillor Abdulkader “AK” Elyas with immediate effect, ending his candidacy ahead of the 4 November local government elections.

According to News24, the decision followed a lengthy meeting of the party’s Federal Executive on Wednesday night.

The party’s Federal Legal Commission had recommended that Elyas be expelled after he allegedly failed to comply with conditions arising from an earlier disciplinary process.

IOL, which reported that Elyas had previously been found guilty on five charges relating to false claims about his qualifications.

He had been placed fourth on the DA’s proportional representation candidate list for the City of Cape Town ahead of the November elections. His membership termination means he will no longer contest the election for the party.

The controversy dates back several years. In 2023, questions emerged over Elyas’s claims that he had obtained medical and other university qualifications. The Citizen reported that the University of Cape Town did not confirm that he had obtained the qualifications, while the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) said he had been registered only as a medical student.

“It is common cause that I was a medical student, not a medical doctor,” Elyas said at the time, according to The Citizen.

In 2024, an internal DA disciplinary process found him guilty of five charges involving claims about qualifications he had not obtained, including medicine and actuarial science.  He was initially suspended while he remained a City councillor, subject to conditions including restrictions on holding party positions.

More recently, Daily Maverick reported further allegations concerning claims Elyas made about professional affiliations and speaking engagements while he was a University of Cape Town student. The publication said it found no evidence for several organisations and positions he had reportedly cited, while Teach Me 2 confirmed he had applied to become a tutor but withdrew when documentary proof of his qualifications was required.

The latest decision brings an end to Elyas’s participation in the DA’s campaign ahead of the local government elections.