The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that it is investigating a case of conspiracy to commit murder linked to the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
According to SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, police have received credible intelligence suggesting that a group of individuals has been attending court proceedings with the intention of identifying an opportunity to eliminate key role players on the side of the state.
Mathe said this on Tuesday as the state argued on why it should be allowed to cross-examine witness Sifiso Gwabini Zungu on a statement that police say he made to them in November 2019.
Witness statement at centre of probe
Zungu has denied ever making that statement.
She further stated that a number of people who were present at the court on Monday morning were taken in for profiling and further questioning.
“Security has been heightened, and intelligence is on high alert,” she said.
She added that the measures taken were necessary to safeguard the integrity of the trial and ensure the safety of those involved.
“All steps taken are to ensure we eliminate the threat as well as to protect and save lives,” Mathe stated.
No arrests have been made at this stage. And investigations are ongoing as police continue to track additional individuals who may be connected to the alleged plot.
Claims by cops refuted by witness
Last week, Zungu, a crucial witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, told the court that he 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. They did this 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. This was after he was picked up from his home by police in June.
He claimed that police officers handcuffed him and put him in the back of a red vehicle. The said vehicle was driven by an officer he recognised as Mogane.
Police accused of brutal assault
Gwabini further stated that 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. 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.
