The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has been postponed to January due to the ill health of one of the defence lawyers.
The postponement comes as the court was preparing to go on recess after proceedings on Friday.
The lawyer, advocate Thulani Mngomezulu representing accuseds number one and two, has told the court that he is unwell and unable to proceed with the proceedings on Thursday.
Wrap: The fateful night that claimed Meyiwa’s life
It has been over a decade since Meyiwa, the late national football team and Orlando Pirate goalie was shot and killed at the home of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus.
The fateful night has been described by witnesses as a robbery gone wrong. It is alleged that two unknown men invaded the Khumalo home on October 26 2014 demanding cellphones and money.
A scuffle between the occupants and the intruders erupted leading to the untimely death of the national sports treasure.
Kelly’s sister, mother, and two children were present, but it was not only family. Meyiwa’s two friends and Kelly’s sister’s boyfriend were also present.
The trial which is currently going for its second run was started de novo with a new judge earlier this year, exacerbating frustrations of citizens who have been following the case since its conception.
In the dock, are five men currently in custody. The accused, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Confessions
In October, the court heard that Sibiya and Ntanzi allegedly confessed to the gruesome murder following their arrests in 2020, respectively.
However, the defence has argued that their clients were assaulted and coerced into making the confessions.
This week, lead investigator Brigadier Bongani Gininda took the stand providing his version of events.
His testimony formed part of a trial within the main Meyiwa trial which seeks to determine the admissibility of the confessions.
According to Gininda, the accused willingly confessed.
Mngomezulu argued that when Ntanzi made a confession at the Moroka police station, Gininda, and Sergeant Batho Mogola had arrived with an already prepared confession for him to sign.
Colonel Mohale Raphadu was also allegedly present.
Gininda refuted the accused’s claim telling the court that his first interaction with Raphadu, who received Ntanzi’s confession statement, occurred when he went to collect the statement from him.
“I was informed by Mogane that indeed the accused was taken to Colonel Raphadu. My Lord, I should also mention that Colonel Raphadu was also independent from the investigations, and I had never worked with him in my whole career,” said Gininda.
“The first time I spoke to him was on the phone and the first time I saw him was when I went to get the confession statement from him after he had taken it down from the accused.”
The trial-within-a-trial will continue on January 22 2024.
