A leaked document raised fears for witness safety in the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa trial.
Senzo Meyiwa trial: Suspects caught perusing confidential case file
The trial of the individuals accused in the murder of Senzo Meyiwa took a distressing turn when a police witness expressed fears over the safety of other witnesses.
This concern followed the unauthorised sharing of a confidential document with the accused, in direct violation of a court order. The document contained sensitive information about several criminal cases, potentially exposing witness identities.
On Tuesday, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria mandated Sergeant Vusimuzi Mogane to disclose details of his investigative work.
The information, intended for prosecutor George Baloyi’s eyes only, was compiled into a letter marked confidential. However, following courtroom proceedings, Mogane noticed the accused perusing the document, sparking immediate concern for witness safety.
Mogane highlighted that the letter contained case numbers and information that could potentially lead to the identification and location of witnesses by the accused.
With firearms and violence central to the cases discussed, the risk to witnesses’ lives was palpably high.
The leak’s severity was underscored by Mogane’s observation of Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu’s presentation of information from the police system during cross-examination, raising questions about internal security breaches.
Judge Mokgoatlheng was visibly shocked by the breach, emphasising that the document should have been reviewed by him first to decide what could be shared under the National Strategic Intelligence Act.
Despite the document’s disclosure to defence counsel being in line with a previous court order, the judge lamented the conduct of the accused and their legal representatives in handling the sensitive material.
The defence teams responded variably to the accusations, with some denying consultation with their clients based on the document, while others acknowledged using it for case preparation.
The back-and-forth led to a tense courtroom atmosphere, with Judge Mokgoatlheng initially ruling to expunge the document from the record to protect lives, only to later reverse the decision, allowing it to remain part of the proceedings.
The Senzo Meyiwa trial-within-a-trial resumes on Thursday.