Update on attempted murder case of Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala and four others: Neria Hlakotsa reports
A high-stakes legal showdown erupted in court as the prosecution and defense engaged in a fierce battle over the admissibility of critical medical records and crucial physical evidence in the trial of Vusimuzi Matlala.
News anchor Bongwe opened the coverage alongside reporter Nthakoana Ngatane, who provided a detailed breakdown of the intense courtroom drama that unfolded before Judge Cassim Ismail Musa.
The courtroom tension escalated rapidly when defense attorneys attempted to block the state from utilizing Vusimuzi Matlala‘s medical files, arguing that the documents consisted primarily of inadmissible hearsay that could not be put directly to the witness on the stand, identified as Moshana.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Le Roux forcefully countered the defense, revealing that the defense team itself had originally submitted those exact medical records into evidence as an official court exhibit.
Elizabeth Le Roux asserted that because the defense introduced the documents into the official trial record, the state possessed full legal authority to cross-examine Moshana and use the files as they saw fit.
Judge Cassim Ismail Musa listened to both sides before issuing a definitive ruling, declaring that the state holds the full right to interrogate witnesses using the contested medical records.
The medical documents center directly on the condition of Kgapane when he was rushed to Edenvale Hospital immediately following his arrest.
Kgapane was admitted to the medical facility after he began coughing up blood while in custody.
Medical staff noted at the time that Kgapane told attending doctors he had been suffering from a continuous cough for two weeks, experiencing severe night sweats, and undergoing significant weight loss.
Elizabeth Le Roux pressed Kgapane directly on the stand, questioning whether the examining doctor had fabricated those specific medical entries out of thin air.
Kgapane admitted to telling doctors about his weight loss and the physical assault he allegedly suffered at the hands of police officers, but he flatly denied making any statements regarding night sweats or a two-week coughing fit.
Kgapane insisted under oath that his health issues had nothing to do with the criminal case brought against him.
The state argued aggressively that Kgapane had been coughing for at least two weeks prior to his arrest, asserting that extreme anxiety on the day of his arrest combined with his pre-existing respiratory issues forced medical personnel to administer a nebulizer.
Prosecutors focused on examining his exact physical state on the day of his arrest to determine whether his coughing up blood stemmed from an actual medical condition rather than alleged police brutality.
Elizabeth Le Roux then shifted the cross-examination toward a previous hospital admission, challenging Kgapane over whether doctors had noted food poisoning, a claim Kgapane denied ever making to hospital staff.
The prosecution turned its attention to a key piece of physical evidence, centering cross-examination on a Hyundai i20.
Kgapane was originally spotted and arrested while driving the Hyundai i20, a vehicle that matched video footage recorded during the fatal shooting of Armand Swart.
When prosecutors asked Kgapane if he had ever driven a Hyundai i20 in his entire life, Kgapane initially denied ever operating such a vehicle.
Facing intense pressure from Elizabeth Le Roux, Kgapane reversed his previous testimony, admitting to the court that he recalled driving an i10 or an i20 back in 2023, though he claimed it was not the specific vehicle linked to the crime scene.
Kgapane admitted under cross-examination that he had later remembered driving a similar vehicle and had to inform his legal defense counsel of the revelation.
The prosecution pressed further, highlighting that the exact firearms linked to the murder investigation were recovered directly inside that same Hyundai i20.
When prosecutors asked Kgapane if anything was recovered from inside the vehicle, Kgapane claimed that nothing was found, adding that if the state asserted evidence was recovered, he knew absolutely nothing about it.
Sensational new evidence emerged when the prosecution questioned Kgapane about the exact physical location of the Hyundai i20 car keys during the police search of his property.
Kgapane testified that his family kept the vehicle keys outside the house in a decorative vase located just outside the front door.
Kgapane made serious allegations against law enforcement officers, testifying in court that after police searched the vehicle and retrieved the key from the exterior vase, officers planted the key directly on his person.
Kgapane alleged under oath that a police officer forcibly jammed the Hyundai i20 key into his pocket before removing it to place it inside an official evidence bag.
Reporter Nthakoana Ngatane noted that these explosive corruption allegations raised by Kgapane will directly determine whether the critical evidence seized by police from his residence can legally be admitted in the trial of Vusimuzi Matlala.
Anchor Bongwe concluded the broadcast, thanking Nthakoana Ngatane for tracking the high-stakes proceedings inside the courtroom.
Copyright: SABC NEWS
