Here are the updates from the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
Mzansi cannot stop talking about the ongoing trial on late Bafana Bafana football star Senzo Meyiwa’s murder. So far, suspects and witnesses in the case have been cross-examined. On Monday, the Pretoria High Court dismissed advocate Dan Teffo’s bid to render alleged confessions to the murder admissible. He argued that the confessions had violated their constitutional rights.
According to him, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya and Bongani Ntanzi (the first two accused in the murder trial) were “assaulted with the intention to do grievous bodily harm,” leading to their alleged confessions. In response, Maumela said, “It’s only you in this whole court that understands what you’re talking about. I have to be able to listen to you and relate to what you are saying,” He ruled that Mshololo should continue cross-examining the state’s first witness, Sergeant Thabo Mosia.
Defense advocate Zandile Mshololo argued that the Senzo Meyiwa crime scene was tampered with before the police arrived. He said it was cleaned, and “a lot of empty beer bottles” were stashed away. He revealed that Maggie Phiri, the Khumalo’s neighbor and the person who allegedly tampered with the crime scene by cleaning it, was a suspect in a separate case docket.
Phiri was first mentioned by advocate Dan Teffo last week. While reading from a document drafted by the National Prosecuting Authority, Teffo stated that Phiri should have been prosecuted alongside “Empini” star Kelly Khumalo, Gladness Khumalo, Zandie Khumalo, Longwe Twala, and two of Meyiwa’s closest friends, Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala.
Mshololo read statements from three unidentified witnesses alleging that Phiri had cleaned the crime scene so the police would not see that the people present had been drinking. However, a forensic fieldworker in the Meyiwa case testified that he did not believe the crime scene had been tampered with.
