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Professor Peter Beale has reportedly gone into hiding following the murder of his co-defendant, Dr Abdulhay Munshi.
- Professor Peter Beale, a surgeon and wrongful death defendant, has reportedly gone into hiding following the murder of his co-defendant, anesthetist Dr. Abdulhay Munshi.
- Beale reportedly went into hiding hours after the shooting and has not even had direct contact with his family.
- Beale is scheduled to appear in court again on November 16.
Surgeon and wrongful death defendant Professor Peter Beale has gone into hiding following the murder of his co-defendant, anesthetist Dr. Abdulhay Munshi.
According to the Sunday Times, Beale went into hiding within hours after Munshi was shot outside his Johannesburg home on Wednesday and has not even had direct contact with his family. Instead, he reportedly messages them through his lawyers and a close friend.
It is unclear if Beale has been placed under protection or if he has gone into hiding by choice.
Beale, 72, and Munshi, who appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates Court last month, are accused of being responsible for the death of 10-year-old Zayyaan Sayed.
Zayyaan died in October 2019 at Netcare’s Park Lane clinic shortly after Beale performed what was supposed to be a routine laparoscopic operation to stop the reflux.
Zayyaan’s father, Mohammadh Sayed, has denied “any involvement in Munshi’s murder.”
In a statement on Friday, Sayed said that he “sincerely hopes that the perpetrators will be found and brought to justice as soon as possible,” adding that it was “a matter of public record” that he had followed a legal route “in search of the truth. “about the death of his son.
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The president of the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA), Dr. Kgosi Letlape, said the organization lobbied for the case to be taken to court.
“As a councilor, we are extremely disturbed by what happened and how we have tried to intervene in the matter and ensure that the profession is treated with respect and that professional acts are not criminalized and the laws of the country are followed in terms of procedure.” Letlape said.
He said the council had previously written to the relevant authorities to take the matter out of court but was unsuccessful. Letlape said the HPCSA would now go to the president for help.
“We are planning to write to the authorities again to ensure that this matter is removed from the criminal courts and the laws of the country are followed. We will continue with that matter,” he said.
“We believe that this is a sad day and it is dangerous if health professionals are to be treated like criminals. We hope this is corrected as soon as possible.”
Beale, who is out on R10,000 bail, is scheduled to appear in court again on November 16, when a trial date is expected to be set.
– Compiled by Nicole McCain
