The trial of suspended health MEC Dr Bevan Goqwana and Dr Mkhuseli Mashiyi got under way in the Umtata High Court on Monday with both pleading not guilty to 1 242 counts of fraud involving more than R170 000.
The State is seeking to prove that Mashiyi practised in Goqwana’s surgery, using Goqwana’s practice number, and that he claimed specialist fees while he was a general practitioner.
State advocate Mbuyiselo Somacala said on Monday Mashiyi was not entitled to practice as a medical practitioner using the practice number of Goqwana. The State contended that Mashiyi was only registered as a general practitioner.
The first witness called by the State was David van Heerden, who headed Strategic Solutions, a company which conducted investigations on behalf of Medscheme, a medical aid company.
He said investigations began after someone phoned Medscheme and made certain complaints.
Van Heerden told the court when the company searched Goqwana’s consulting rooms they came across a stack of documents which had a bearing on the case.
Defence advocate Ben Ford then interjected complaining that the documents Van Heerden was referring to were only received by the defence team on Friday.
Judge Selwyn Miller said he thought the State should have made the documents available to the defence long before the trial started. The court was briefly adjourned to allow both counsel to sort out the matter.
Another Strategic Solutions investigator, Nicholas Jacobus Lee, then told the court he was part of the team that took statements from a number of patients whose names appeared on the Medscheme schedule.
”Thereafter we went to the SA Police Service to open a docket. During the investigations I met with Mashiyi who later made a statement.”
Lee said Mashiyi said he worked at Goqwana’s surgery and that Goqwana was paying his salary.
The trial continues. – Sapa