State Witness Alfred Accused of Fraudulent Document in Matlala Trial-Within-a-Trial

• Captain Pimi Alfred, the state's second witness, faced tough cross-examination at the Johannesburg High Court over Musa Kekana's arrest
• The defence challenged Alfred on contradictory testimony about when Kekana's constitutional rights were read to him
• Prosecutors face a bid to have all evidence and admissions from Kekana's arrest declared inadmissible

JOHANNESBURG — The defence counsel in the Johannesburg High Court targeted the validity of police arrest documentation, arguing that the paperwork used to detain accused number one, Musa Kekana, was fraudulent.

The trial-within-a-trial continued on 28 July 2026. Eyewitness News reported that during the trial-within-a-trial involving alleged kingpin Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala and four co-accused, state witness Captain Pimi Alfred struggled to explain major gaps in his record-keeping.

The Police Tactical Response Team Commander faced intense cross-examination over official forms that omitted the murder charge Kekana was supposedly arrested for, listing only firearms, ammunition, and a stolen car. Challenged on whether the form was fake, Alfred claimed the sheet lacked enough physical space to list the murder charge.

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Witness faces tough cross-examination

The cross-examination also highlighted conflicting accounts regarding when Kekana was informed of his constitutional rights. Alfred initially testified that he read Kekana his rights directly at the scene.

Under pressure, he altered his statement, claiming he read them twice—first in the morning and later that evening. When pushed to specify where the official arrest documentation was signed, Alfred admitted he could not remember the location or if he had accompanied Kekana to the hospital.

The defence is leveraging these inconsistencies and missing charges to convince the court to declare all evidence and statements gathered during Kekana's arrest completely inadmissible. The outcome of this preliminary probe into evidence admissibility will directly impact the main trial, where the five accused face 25 charges stemming from three separate attempted murder incidents.

View a tweet about the trial on X here:

Tebogo Thobejane revisits crime scene

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Tebogo Thobejane's emotional journey as she attended the trial of her former lover, Matlala, on charges including attempted murder. Thobejane, who survived an assassination attempt that left her friend paralysed, took to social media to express her gratitude for life and reflect on the significance of her survival.

Source: Briefly News