Five men accused of the murder of South African football team captain Senzo Meyiwa have appeared in the High Court in Pretoria. The defense, represented by lawyer Charles Mnisi, challenged the testimony of prosecution witness Lt. Col. Gideon Gouws regarding telephone evidence linking some of the accused to the case.
Amid the proceedings at the Pretoria High Court, Mnisi sought to discredit Gouws’ testimony and establish the defendants’ assertions that they were not acquainted prior to their 2020 arrest.
The accused individuals – Bongani Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokozisi Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli – have pleaded not guilty to charges including premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.
Senzo Meyiwa was tragically killed at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s family home in Vosloorus, Gauteng, on October 26, 2014, initially believed to be a botched burglary.
Under scrutiny from Mnisi, Gouws refuted the assertion that the phone evidence linked all the accused, stating, “I have not found any connection between accused one and accused three.”
However, Mnisi referenced Gouws’ earlier testimony led by prosecutor George Baloyi, where Gouws had purportedly mentioned that Ntanzi’s phone records indicated “communication between all the accused.”
A contentious exchange unfolded between Gouws and Mnisi, with the latter contending that Gouws previously indicated the defendants’ association. Mnisi went as far as to request the playback of Wednesday’s hearing recording to settle the disagreement, although technical difficulties prevented this.
Justice Ratha Mokgoathleng instructed Mnisi to postpone further questioning on this matter until resolving the issue. Additionally, defense lawyer Zithulele Nxumalo sought a brief recess, claiming inadequate time to consult the witness due to incomplete evidence disclosure by the prosecution.
Baloyi responded by stating that all defense attorneys were provided with the phone records both on a disk and a USB drive, following Nxumalo’s device compatibility issue with the disk.
Nxumalo argued that the information he received did not meet his requirements. The trial is set to reconvene on Friday for additional revelations and examination of the arguments presented by both the defense and the prosecution.
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