Johannesburg High Court delays trial-within-trial over alleged police torture

In the Johannesburg High Court, defence lawyer Annelene van der Heever argued that police lacked reasonable suspicion to search Musa Kekana’s vehicle and that the arrest and subsequent searches were unlawful, challenging the admissibility of firearms evidence in the main trial involving Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and co‑accused.

A separate hearing into the same arrest was postponed after the State could not secure a key medical witness to testify about alleged injuries Kekana suffered during police custody; defence alleges he was suffocated with a plastic bag and beaten, while police officials, including Captain Phimi Sekgobela and Lt‑Col Tumelo Tsotetsi, deny knowledge of any torture.