The fourth State witness in the trial-within-a-trial of alleged criminal kingpin Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala and four co-accused has corroborated evidence presented by previous witnesses in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
The trial-within-a-trial is determining whether evidence obtained during the arrest of accused Musa Kekana, who is charged in connection with the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, is admissible in the main trial.
TRT Lieutenant Colonel Tumelo Tsotetsi told the court that the arrest operation in Kew was carried out according to plan.
“We turned on our blue lights as we approached the vehicle. There were two people seated inside the vehicle and one person standing next to the driver’s door,” Tsotetsi testified.
He said officers instructed the suspects to raise their hands before ordering them to lie on the ground, where they were handcuffed.
Tsotetsi further testified that Kekana later complained that he was unwell and was subsequently handcuffed with his hands in front of his body.
During evidence-in-chief, Tsotetsi’s testimony largely corroborated that of previous State witnesses, particularly regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the suspects and the recovery of evidence at the scene.
The defence is expected to begin cross-examining Tsotetsi when proceedings resume.
