Moorosi Tsiane
THE prosecution is working hard to secure the conviction of Khubetsoana man, Qamo Matela, who stands accused of murdering his wife, ‘Mahlompho Matela, in September 2021. This as Crown counsel, Advocate Pelea Joala, this week punched holes in the testimony of a South African doctor, ‘Matsa Mosese, who has tried to exonerate Matela from the crime.
Adv Joala accused Dr Mosese of lying to court by giving “contradictory statements”.
Dr Mosese, who attended to ‘Mahlompho before she died at Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, had on 29 February 2024 testified in the High Court that the deceased died of natural causes.
Dr Mosese had been called as Matela’s first defence witness and was led in evidence by Matela’s lawyer, Adv Lepeli Molapo.
In his testimony, he rubbished pathologist Lefatle Phakoane’s report on ‘Mahlompho’s body.
Dr Phakoane had said the deceased died from internal bleeding caused by assault.
It was alleged that Matela had beaten her heavily after she refused to give his mother M20.
However, Dr Mosese said he did not notice any signs of internal bleeding on ‘Mahlompho when examining her after she was admitted at Pelonomi Hospital.
He said ‘Mahlompho was conscious when she arrived in Bloemfontein after being transferred from Maseru Private Hospital.
She only had pain in the upper left chest and a heavy bruise on the left eye, said Dr Mosese who added that he put her on treatment and sedated her to manage the pain.
Dr Mosese said he had planned to send ‘Mahlompho for an X-ray and computer tomography (CT) scan the following day once her covid results were back, only for him to get a call at around midnight informing him that ‘Mahlompho had collapsed and died.
He said when she collapsed, her blood pressure and oxygen levels were low and she had a high pulse rate. The nurses tried to resuscitate her, but she did not make it.
Dr Mosese said the patient could not have died from internal bleeding but pulmonary embolism. This is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot.
Dr Mosese’s testimony was rubbished by Adv Joala during cross examination on Monday before Justice Tṧeliso Mokoko.
He put it to Dr Mosese that his oral testimony contradicted the medical report he had written after ‘Mahlompho died, thus his testimony was fabricated.
“You are actually hiding the facts from this court. What you filled in this form (medical report) is a true reflection of what transpired that day Ms Matela came to the hospital. So, what you are telling the court now is just an afterthought.
“A true reflection is that this was an unnatural death, and the possible cause of the death is head injury given the history that the deceased gave to other doctors that she was assaulted with fists, not pulmonary embolism as you have suggested,” said Adv Pelea.
“But I still say her cause of death was not internal bleeding,” Dr Mosese insisted.
Adv Joala also asked Dr Mosese whether vomiting, dizziness and confusion were not consistent with having blood in the brain and his answer was in the affirmative.
Adv Joala concluded his cross examination very late in the evening, around 8pm.
Justice Mokoko then postponed the case to 21 August 2024.
Adv Molapo is expected to then lead the defence’s second witness, one Dr Moopela, also from South Africa, working as a pathologist at the Universitas Hospital. It is not yet clear how he is related to ‘Mahlompho’s issue.
