The Senzo Meyiwa murder case has been postponed to Friday to allow advocate Sipho Ramosepele to prepare for a trial within a trial.
Ramosepele told the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday that the confessions referred to by the state were provided to him on a faint paper, saying he could not analyse the writing to his full potential.
He said he had pleaded with the state to give him clearer copies of the confessions, which he only received on Wednesday morning, and asked that he needed a day to at least go through the documents.
Ramosepele earlier told the court that his clients were forced to write the statements, noting that they were assaulted, coerced, and abused while in police custody.
Advocate George Baloyi revealed that the state was in possession of at least two confessions of accused number two, Bongani Ntanzi, and warning statements of all the accused men.
Although judge Ratha Mokgoatlhe questioned the need to postpone the main case for preparation of the trial within a trial, it was finally granted.
“I am surprised because these statements, you were supposed to have them in 2021 when my colleague judge Maumela was handling this case. You had the statements,” said Mokgoatlhe.
“You do not need [former president Nelson] Mandela’s wisdom. With this case, the cause of case allegedly happened on the 26th of October 2014.
“If you come with a request that you want to ‘abandon’ this case and do another case, you must compare the circumstances.
“Since 2014, this case is [nine] years on the go.”
On Tuesday, the high court heard that Ntanzi was allegedly absent from work on the day the late Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates skipper was killed.
This was revealed by state witness Hedrick Mulder, a human resource manager at Sibanye Gold, during his testimony.
Mulder previously confirmed in a statement to police that Ntanzi was employed by Sibanye Gold in Carletonville, West Rand.
According to the workplace clocking history of the accused, said Mulder, Ntanzi was last seen at 6.57am on the day before Meyiwa’s murder.
Meyiwa was killed while visiting his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo at her home in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg on October 26 2014.
The accused – Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli – are being tried for the murder of the soccer star.
They have pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence, and possession of ammunition.
