POTCHEFSTROOM – The dramatic and controversial life of celebrity TV doctor and radiologist Dr Pieter Henning has come to a violent end in a late-night car crash, leaving behind a trail of unfinished criminal cases, medical negligence probes, and shocking allegations of opioid abuse.
Henning, 42, the founder of Keystone Radiology and a familiar face on South African television, was killed instantly on Wednesday night when his vehicle slammed into a light pole and several trees before overturning at the corner of Welgegund Road and Rissik Street in Potchefstroom.
Police are currently investigating reports that Henning’s vehicle may have struck a pedestrian shortly before the fatal impact, though investigators are still reviewing CCTV footage to confirm the sequence of events.
The Whistleblower’s Lament
For Lizelma Kassteen, the whistleblower who spent years trying to hold Henning accountable, his death brings a hollow conclusion to a five-year battle. Kassteen, who worked as Henning’s receptionist at his George practice, was the primary complainant in a Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) investigation into allegations that the doctor treated patients while under the influence of pethidine, a powerful and highly addictive Schedule 6 opioid.
“It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” Kassteen told News24. “I never wanted him to die, only to be held accountable. I just wanted him to face and man up to his mistakes.”
Kassteen’s complaint included forensic evidence she had personally collected from the practice’s dustbins, including discarded pethidine ampoules and needles. DNA testing later matched these items to Henning. She described a once-respected professional who transformed into a “vindictive, manipulative person” who believed he was “untouchable.”
A Trail of Unanswered Questions
Henning’s death effectively silences several high-stakes investigations that were nearing their conclusion:
• The Pethidine Probe: The HPCSA investigation into his alleged opioid impairment, which allowed him to continue practising while the case dragged on for years.
• The Patient Death Inquiry: A second HPCSA probe involving a 2023 incident at Mooimed Private Hospital. An ICU nurse accused Henning of negligently performing a procedure that caused catastrophic internal bleeding, leading to a patient’s death.
• Criminal Firearm Charges: Henning was awaiting trial for allegedly discharging a Glock handgun in a public place in Stellenbosch last November. At the time of his arrest, he reportedly told police he was trying to "save his girlfriend from hospital."
• Protection Order Proceedings: He was also defending a legal application for a protection order brought by a woman seeking intervention against him.
The Man Behind the Mask
Those who knew Henning described him as a man who understood the power of a polished image. A pilot, businessman, and respected radiologist, he cultivated a persona of immense success. However, behind the scenes, he was increasingly desperate to protect his reputation as the allegations mounted.
In December, Henning reportedly flew from the North West to Cape Town to meet with journalists, arriving with what was described as a "million-dollar smile" and claims that he was the victim of a vendetta. During that meeting, he admitted to self-administering pethidine only once, claiming it was for severe physical pain.
However, as the legal walls closed in, his communication stopped, and he eventually turned to his legal team to threaten interdicts against further media reporting—efforts that ultimately failed.
A Legacy in Limbo
With Henning’s death, the HPCSA investigations and criminal proceedings will be closed without a final ruling. For the families of his patients and the whistleblowers who risked their careers to speak out, the lack of a formal verdict leaves a painful void.
“My case is now closed,” Kassteen said. “He made his choices. I made mine. I did what I believed was right.”
As Potchefstroom police continue to piece together the final moments of the crash, the medical community is left to grapple with the fallout of a career that promised so much but ended in a tangle of drugs, guns, and unresolved tragedy.
Anyone with information regarding the crash or the reported pedestrian involvement is urged to contact Potchefstroom SAPS.
