Four of the five men accused of killing former Bafana Bafana skipper Senzo Meyiwa confessed to the crime after they were subjected to brutal assault by the police, the high court in Pretoria heard on Monday.
Defence lawyer Malesela Teffo told the courtroom that his clients did not voluntarily admit to the crime. “Police got confessions from accused 1-4 through brutal assault,” said Teffo.
He further asked the court for a trial within a trial, saying he believes that a special plea would be a game-changer. “The pending cross-examination should not supersede the rights of my clients,” he added.
But his request for the matter to be heard now, was dismissed. The ruling was for Advocate Zandile Mshololo to continue with the cross examination of forensic detective Thabo Mosia.
The trial was postponed on Friday after state witness Mosia told the court that he was not feeling well due to a medication he consumed earlier in the day. Mosia was one of the first police officers who conducted a forensic investigation at the crime scene.
Meyiwa was murdered at his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg on October 26 2014 in what is believed to have been a robbery gone wrong.
The trial continues
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