Fisokuhle Ntuli, accused number five in the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa murder trial that sits before the Pretoria High Court, did not receive the medical attention ordered by the court on Thursday.
His stand-in legal representative, advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, told the court on Friday.
Nxumalo, standing in for advocate Zandile Mshololo, said prison authorities ignored the instruction.
“He says he was dumped in his cell. Nobody attended to the court order to take him for medical care,” Nxumalo told the court.
“Only this morning a senior prison official came to check him to make those arrangements.”
Nxumalo added that while Ntuli still wanted to be examined by a doctor, he preferred that it be done at a later stage.
Wants court to see his injuries
“He says he has injuries if the court wants to see them,” Nxumalo said.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng said the court does not want to see the injuries.
“You can add that assault to litigation.”
The court proceeded to hear testimony from Absalom Zungu, father of Constable Sizwe Zungu.
Zungu, who is accused of implicating accused one and two, recounted how police officers arrived at his rented home in Ermelo, Mpumalanga.
Led by advocate Charles Mnisi, he told the court that police were accompanied by his constable son. They ordered him to get into their vehicle.
“They said I must get inside the car and join them for a ride,” Zungu narrated.
“I did that because I saw my son in there and I assumed they were going to town.”
Cops accused of ‘abduction’
Zungu testified that he became alarmed when the officers drove past the town.
“I asked where they were taking me and one police officer told me to keep quiet. He said I shouldn’t be asking them that. I kept quiet because people get killed all the time in the country. My only prayer was returning home alive.”
During cross-examination, advocate Mnisi put it to Zungu that he had been unlawfully taken.
“Mr Zungu I am going to tell you, you were abducted, you were taken against your will. You were misled. You were fraudulently removed from your place, that was abduction,” Mnisi said.
Zungu agreed.
“The way it happened, yes, I was abducted,” he told the court.
“And according to South African law, that is a criminal offence,” Mnisi concluded.
The trial will continue on Monday as more defence counsels want to ask Zungu questions.
