A sergeant from the National Cold Case Unit of the SA Police Service (SAPS), Vusumuzi Mogane, said accused number two, Bongani Ntanzi, confessed voluntarily regarding his alleged involvement in the murder of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa.
Mogane is one of officers who arrested Ntanzi in June 2020.
He was under cross-examination in a trial-within-a-trial in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
The trial-within-a-trial is being heard to determine if the alleged confessions made by Ntanzi and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya were taken freely and voluntarily.
The two accused claim they were severely assaulted and forced into confession.
On Monday, Mogane told the court that Ntanzi volunteered to tell the lead investigating officer, Brigadier Gininda, the truth after they discovered that he lied about his whereabouts on the day Meyiwa was murdered.
Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, who is representing Ntanzi, told Mogane that after speaking with the police, Ntanzi was under the impression that they were satisfied with the information he had given them and that they were going to release him.
“Ntate Mngomezulu, I would like to ask that your client tell you the truth and not speak lies. After we left the mine, after we got information that he lied about working on the day of the murder, we parked on the side of the road because he asked to speak to Gininda, and Gininda had to come into our car and ask what was wrong. He said that since HR denied that he was at work, he wanted to tell the truth,” explained Mogane.
Mogane said Gininda read him his rights, and when he started talking, Gininda stopped him and told him that since he was the lead investigator in the case, he would get someone neutral to take down the statement.
Mogane said after his statement was taken, Ntanzi was asked if he was satisfied, and he said he was.
Meyiwa was shot and killed while visiting singer girlfriend Kelly Khumalo at her home in Vosloorus on October 26, 2014.
The five accused in the Meyiwa murder trial are Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli.
IOL