The Pretoria High Court has heard that accused number two in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial was a hitman and gun supplier of note before his arrest.
During advocate Thulani Mngomezulu‘s cross-examination of the lead investigator, Brigadier Bongani Gininda on Tuesday, he revealed this.
During the proceedings, Mngomezulu focused on the arrest of the second accused, Bongani Ntanzi, in the 2020 murder case in KwaNongoma.
He asked how Ntanzi was connected to the case, to which Gininda responded, stating that a witness had detailed Ntanzi’s alleged involvement.
He explained that Ntanzi is mentioned many times in the statement, therefore implicating him.
Supplier of firearms to hired killers
The statement by Simphiwe Buthelezi, read in court, alleges that Ntanzi played a crucial role as a firearms supplier to hired killers across the country.
In the statement, Buthelezi described Ntanzi as a seemingly quiet and unsuspecting gentleman who was actively involved in the illicit trade of weapons.
“[He] is a quiet gentleman, and no one can suspect him. He is a firearm and ammunition supplier.”
He went on to mention a 2014 robbery at a Shoprite in Vosloorus that involved an AK47 supplied by Ntanzi. Ntanzi is also alleged to have been involved in the killing of a prominent union member in Marikana, North West.
“He told me that the AK47 was used to rob a Shoprite store in Vosloorus in 2014 … and a police officer was shot.”
Buthelezi also mentioned the first accused, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, stating that he was informed about an incident where Sibiya allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and further claiming that Sibiya’s father attempted to cover up the case.
Sibiya allegedly shot his lover
Sibiya, now serving 12 years for attempted murder, allegedly shot his girlfriend after she threatened to expose his alleged role in the Meyiwa case.
Buthelezi died in 2022.
Despite the revelations in his statement, Mngomezulu argued that his client, Ntanzi, was unlawfully arrested with no evidence linking him to the Nongoma murder.
On Monday, the court heard that Meyiwa was a victim of a contractual assassination rather than a robbery gone wrong.
However, presiding judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng declared that the information was hearsay.
Five men — Sibiya, Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli —are currently being tried for Meyiwa’s gruesome murder and have all entered pleas of not guilty.
