Sifiso Gwabini Zungu, a crucial witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, was allegedly kicked like a drum filled with water and suffocated with a plastic bag.
Testifying at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, Gwabini claimed that police officers beat him at a cemetery in search of information about the footballer’s 2014 killing.
He denied allegations made by his uncle, Constable Sizwe Zungu, that on the day Meyiwa was shot and killed, all five of the accused were present at a party at his Vosloorus residence.
Gwabini insisted: “There was no such gathering.”
Under the guidance of defence lawyer and advocate Charles Mnisi, Gwabini described a night of alleged torture after he was picked up from his home by police in June.
Head covered with plastic bag
He claimed that the police officers handcuffed him and put him in the back of a red vehicle driven by an officer he recognised as Mogane.
Gwabini further stated that the police covered his head with a plastic bag after showing him pictures of women from the Sibiya family and asking him to identify them.
“I was suffocating. I thought we were going to the Vosloorus police station, but we went to a municipal area,” he told the court.
Other officers allegedly repeatedly kicked him there, while another officer known as Buthelezi stamped on his handcuffs with booted feet.
Gwabini displayed a scar on his left arm, which the court measured, claiming it resulted from the assault. Furthermore, he told the court that he lost consciousness during the assault.
He was drenched when he regained consciousness, and Mabena, another officer, was carrying a five-litre water container.
Assaulted at the cemetery
Thereafter, the police officers allegedly took him to a cemetery close to Chris Hani Mall, located between Vosloorus and Katlehong, where he was beaten again until about 4am.
“At one point a passing motorist stopped but drove off after seeing the assault,” Gwabini told the court.
He claimed that the officers used a loudspeaker to speak to a person whose voice he recognized and demanded that he disclose the whereabouts of Muzi Sibiya, another accused, on the night Meyiwa was shot and killed.
“I kept saying I know nothing about soccer and soccer players,” he said.
- The trial continues.
