Alleged hitman in Matlala trial alleges police torture in custody

The H igh Court in Johannesburg has heard that t he alleged hitman in Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and four others trial, was suffocated by police to the point that he lost con s c ious ness.

Musa Kekana is testifying in a trial within a trial , where he is fighting to have evidence obtained against him , deemed inadmissible in court.

Kekana has accused police of acting rogue on the day of his arrest in 2024 for allegedly murdering Vereeniging engineer, Armand Swart .

Testifying through an interpret e r, Kekana further alleges that police severely assaulted him in an attempt to force him to confess to Swart ‘s murder.

“At the time I was cuffed and my feet and my hands were tied together with my belt.

They placed the bag over my head and it was suffocating me and it was done about three or four times before he started saying what he was saying.” Vusumuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala and co-accused in court | 15 September 2026