Bongani Gininda, a lead investigator in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has told the court that the accused willingly confessed to the murder of the slain soccer star.
Gininda took the stand at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday to provide his side of the story in a highly anticipated testimony.
His testimony forms part of a trial within the main Meyiwa trial which seeks to determine the admissibility of two confessions allegedly made by accused number one Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya and accused number two Bongani Ntanzi in 2020.
Previously, the court heard from the two that they were coerced and assaulted to make the said confessions, however, the state has tried to dispute the claim, asserting that they confessed freely.
The defence 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.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, Gininda refuted the accused’s claim that seek to contradicting his version.
He informed the court that his initial 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.”
Ntanzi provided fault alibis
Gininda accused Ntanzi of providing fault alibis to support his whereabouts on the night Meyiwa was shot and killed at the Khumalo home in Vosloorus on October 26 2014.
He said he had travelled to Carletonville to confirm Ntanzi’s alibi at Sibanye Stillwaters mine, where the accused worked at the time, following the revelation that he was not present at work on the day of Meyiwa’s murder.
Ntanzi’s absence from work was confirmed in October during state witness Hedrick Mulder’s testimony. Mulder was Ntanzi’s human resource manager at Sibanye Gold at the time of the killing.
He told the court that Ntanzi was absent from work for personal reasons, and that his leave without pay was approved by his line manager. He was due back at work after five days.
Earlier this month, Mogane told the court that upon realising that police knew he was not at work on the day of the murder, Ntanzi willingly offered to “tell the truth” to Gininda.
“One of the officers called me and said the suspect wanted to speak. When I went back to him, what he told me was tantamount to a confession,” said Gininda.
“I warned him again and he said he just wanted to tell the truth.”
The trial continues on Wednesday
