Hamilton Naki

Hamilton Naki (26 June 1926 – 29 May 2005) was a South African laboratory assistant known for his contributions to surgical research and medical training despite having no formal medical training. He worked with cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard at the University of Cape Town, where he was involved with organ transplant research on animals and trained medical students in surgical techniques. His contributions to medical science, particularly in an era of racial segregation and apartheid, have been recognized as remarkable.

Following his death, controversy arose regarding false claims in multiple obituaries, including those published by at least five periodicals and the Associated Press, that stated he participated in the world's first human-to-human heart transplantation in 1967. These statements were later retracted due to lack of evidence. The incident has been cited as an example of inadequate fact-checking in journalism, and delayed correction of reporting errors.