PRETORIA - Medical records have revealed that nursing staff at Edenvale Hospital requested heightened security while alleged hitman Musa Kekana was receiving treatment.
The records were discussed in court by Dr Ziphelele Mazibuko, who treated Kekana following his arrest on 17 April 2024.
The matter is being heard in a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of evidence obtained during Kekana’s arrest in the attempted murder case against alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his co-accused.
READ: Kekana hospital drama takes centre stage in Matlala trial
Kekana claims police assaulted and suffocated him until he began coughing up blood.
Mazibuko treated Kekana for at least two nights. Her notes indicate that he told her he had allegedly been suffocated.
During cross-examination, Matlala’s lawyer, Advocate Annelene van den Heever, read a note written by a night nurse, suggesting it showed that law enforcement had attempted to forcefully remove Kekana from the hospital.
But Mazibuko explained that the note was actually a request for increased security, amid concerns that someone could attempt to remove Kekana from the hospital by force.
READ: Crime scene photos take center stage in 'Cat' Matlala trial
The exchange shifted the focus to Kekana’s conduct while he was under medical supervision.
His lawyer accused Judge Cassim Moosa of overstepping by making deductions from the evidence.
The State applied for an early adjournment to investigate Kekana’s claims about the involvement of the former Bramley police station commander in an alleged attempt to have him removed from the hospital.
The trial-within-a-trial resumes on Thursday, with a new witness expected to testify.