Senzo Meyiwa murder trial Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has expressed disappointment in the conduct of one of the defence lawyers.
Mokgoatlheng was unhappy that advocate Charles Mnisi, the lawyer representing accused number three, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, was not present in court to cross-examine the state’s ballistics expert Edward Sereo at the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday.
Mnisi was attending another case, which is at trial stage in the regional court.
Sereo, who began his testimony on Monday, did a microscopic verification of his colleague Lt-Col Chris Mangena’s work.
Alleged murder weapon
Mangena, who wrapped up his testimony last week, linked the gun allegedly found in possession of Mncube and the bullet found at the scene.
Mangena testified in August 2023 that the 9mm gun found on Mncube when he was arrested in 2015 for a separate matter was the same one that killed Meyiwa.
He said he was able to determine this after examining the projectile found on the kitchen counter at the crime scene and test bullets fired from the gun.
The court proceedings on Wednesday began with the lawyer of accused number four, advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, cross-examining Sereo.
Nxumalo is representing Mthokoziseni Maphisa.
Following his cross-examination, advocate Zandile Mshololo cross-examined Sereo on behalf of her client Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli, who is the fifth accuser.
Afterwards, Mshololo told Mokgoatlheng that Mnisi is still in the middle of trial at the regional court.
Presiding judge not happy
Mokgoatlheng was not happy and decided to postpone the matter. He told Sereo to avail himself on Thursday for Mnisi’s cross-examination.
“Advocate Mnisi still has to take you under cross-examination. I am sorry. It is normally never done. But because this judge is too soft, he lets advocates get away with murder,” said Mokgoatlheng.
“Any other judge in this [Gauteng] division [of the high court] who handles marathon criminal trials will tell you that you cannot take two or more cases while this one goes ahead.
“I am easy … The JP [judge president Dunstan Mlambo] is asking me when you are finishing this case.
“There is an advocate handling another case in junior court. The JP will be very upset if he hears about this.”
Killed at ex-girlfriend’s home
Meyiwa, the former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, was shot and killed at the house of the mother of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, on October 26, 2014.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mncube, Maphisa, and Ntuli face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition.
They have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
