Upon meeting Dr. Randall Ortel, it is clear that his dogged determination brought him this far in his career. The 38-year-old is not your average medical practitioner. He wears many hats. He’s gone from being a Manenberg taxi driver to now being a medical doctor. And yet, he admits that being a doctor was never a part of the plan.
“It was by default. I wanted to be a garbage collector. Being a doctor was never in my thoughts. Being a garbage collector just looked cool to me, the way the guys would hang at the back of the truck.”
Smile FM caught up with Manenberg’s Dr Randall Ortel. He made headlines earlier this year as the man who worked as a taxi driver during his medical studies. Now, he boasts a new title. He shares a message of hope for the youth. Images and video by Lizell Persens #smile904fmnews pic.twitter.com/tJZ3kfsvSl
— Smile90.4 FM (@Smile904FM) September 29, 2023
Since Smile FM touched base with Ortel earlier this year, he has since been promoted to being the manager of medical services at Karl Bremer Hospital in Bellville, Cape Town. And it doesn’t stop there. Five minutes into our interview, he boasts that he has also now been selected to serve on the council of The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. He juggles this with also being a lecturer at the University of Cape Town, running his own organization named the Dr Randall Ortel Foundation, teaching advanced medical courses, and arranging events in the Manenberg community.
It’s hard to fathom how someone with such a busy schedule still has time for social media, but Ortel has gained a large following by offering medical advice on the video-sharing app, TikTok. To date, he has 49 500 followers and his videos have garnered a total of 289,700 likes.
@dr.randallortel Why are we still experiencing this cold weather in Cape Town in the heart of Spring season ? To many men still walking around with polar necks / bottle necks.GET CIRCUMCISED. Free Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) is readily available.#drrandallortel #familyphysician #familyphysiciancapetown #familyphysiciansouthafrica #familyphysicianwesterncape #familymedicinespecialistcapetown #familymedicinespecialistsouthafrica #familymedicinespecialist #familymedicinewesternprovince #familyphysicians #medicaldoctor #motivationalspeaker #medicaldoctorcapetown #medicaldoctorsouthafrica #healthtok #medicaltok #drrandallortelmotivationalspeaker #healthpromotionsouthafrica #menshealth #foreskinsmustfall #getcircumcised #manup #manup_soenat #pepfar #who #hiv #hivpreventionforus #cervicalcancer #cervicalcancerawareness #manenberg
Born and bred in the crime-ridden area which is synonymous with drugs and gangsterism, Manenberg remains his home and sanctuary. He is proud of the fact that he is the first doctor of colour from Manenberg – a notable title he has fact-checked and researched by going door-to-door with a survey. He continues to live in the area with his parents.
“I made this decision long ago, to be visible in the community. I can’t speak from outside the community about what success is. Yes, Idrive a flashy car and wear name brands. Yes, I do things that are trending. It is calculated. It is not be conceited. It is so that kids can notice it.”
It’s easy for other aspiring medical professionals to think Ortel has reached the peak of his career, but he is still not satisfied. The father of a 5-year-old daughter maintains that he is only getting started. With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and a hunger for more, he plans to complete his MBA at Stellenbosch University and obtain his PHD thereafter.
“I have given myself 60 months in this post. In fact, I want to become the national minister of Health. There has never been a coloured Minister of Health in South Africa. If you want to ask me where I am on my way to, it is probably towards the ministry.”
READ MORE: Doctor Randall Ortel: from the taxi to medical school
