Pretoria - The trial of the five men accused of the 2014 murder of Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates ace goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa is set to kick off in the High Court in Pretoria this morning after the much-anticipated start of the trial was shot down on Monday due to a need for attorney/client consultations.
The superior court situated in Pretoria CBD deferred the trial after Advocate Zandile Mshololo, the legal representative of the fifth accused, Sifisokuhle Ntuli, indicated she was unable to proceed with the trial.
She also indicated that the State had released further particulars and statements to the defence at the 11th hour before the high-stakes trial.
“Accused number five has just been ambushed by the conduct of the State to reveal such crucial statements at the 11th hour of the trial. I further submit that the conduct of the State, on its own, has violated a right, a constitutional right of the accused – especially accused number 5’s right to a fair trial,” Mshololo charged.
“He has been denied an opportunity to prepare his case and his defence.”
The State did not oppose Mshololo’s application for the trial to stand down until Tuesday.
Meyiwa was killed on October 26, 2014, while visiting his girlfriend and mother of his child, singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus in Gauteng.
In the house that fateful day was Meyiwa, Kelly and her younger sister, Zandi, their mother Ntombi Khumalo, Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, and Kelly’s then 4-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, Kelly’s daughter with Senzo.
A reward of up to R250 000 was offered for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the killers.
On October 31, 2014, police arrested Vosloorus resident, 27-year-old Zamokuhle Mbatha, in connection with the murder of Meyiwa. Mbatha is known to the Khumalo family.
Days later, Mbatha made his second appearance at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court, where charges against him were withdrawn due to lack of evidence. In 2019, Mbatha sued the State, demanding R17.7m as compensation.
The Meyiwa family approached lobby group AfriForum for representation after the high-profile case had seemingly stagnated.
On Monday, AfriForum’s legal head, Advocate Gerry Nel, said he believed that the five were linked to the crime, but more people should have been arrested for the crime.
“From what I have seen and the briefings I have had from the South African Police Service, I am convinced that we have the correct people in court, but I would have expected more arrests. I would have expected other people to be with them because I have said it all along. I do not believe that this was a robbery that went wrong,” Nel spoke to journalists as he walked into court with some Meyiwa family members he represents.
“There is something more than that. If that is true, one would have expected other people to be here. Having said that, we have people before court – that’s a strategy of the prosecution service. I hope we can just start.”
Nel said he is informed that the police investigations are at an advanced stage, and there is an idea of who masterminded the murder of the Orlando Pirates goal minder almost eight years ago.
“As far as I am concerned, the police know who it is (the mastermind of the murder). They have finalised the investigations. They are still busy with it, I think here and there. As far as I am concerned, the police have a very good idea of who the mastermind is, and I am sure that if the mastermind is not added to the indictment, there will be other indictments in the future,” said Nel, a respected legal eagle formerly with the National Prosecuting Authority.
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