{
  "id": 5332642,
  "title": "Officer denies unlawfully removing Matlala’s co-accused from hospital",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/officer-denies-unlawfully-removing-matlalas-co-accused-from-hospital",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T12:39:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/officer-denies-unlawfully-removing-matlalas-co-accused-from-hospital/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new witness in the trial of alleged criminal kingpin Vusimuzi \"Cat\" Matlala and four others has disputed claims that police unlawfully removed Musa Kekana from Edenvale Hospital to Bramley Police Station. Officer Malikutu Raseala, who was testifying in a trial-within-a-trial, stated that he acted on his superiors' instructions. Kekana had been ordered to be transferred to South Rand Hospital by doctors. Kekana has accused police of unlawfully assaulting him and searching his home without his consent during his arrest in 2024. Kekana, Matlala and three co-accused are facing charges of conspiring and attempting to kill Matlala's former partner, Tebogo Thobejane, businessman Joe \"Ferrari\" Sibanyoni and music producer Seunkie Mokubung. Kekana's lawyer questioned Raseala, who spoke through an interpreter, about the alleged unlawful removal from the hospital. Raseala disputed this, saying that one should not take a suspect from the hospital on their own and emphasized he had signed a document to transport Kekana.",
  "summary": "Police officer Malikutu Raseala says he acted on his superiors' instructions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}