The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes today at the Pretoria High Court, where Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng will continue hearing evidence in one of South Africa’s most closely watched cases.
The proceedings pick up after Wednesday’s cross-examination of the first accused, Muzi Sibiya, who has maintained that police fabricated evidence against him.
According to Sunday World, State prosecutor Advocate George Baloyi spent most of the last session questioning Sibiya about the alleged discovery of a firearm and cleaning rod — items police claim were found at his uncle’s shack in Tembisa.Constable Jabulani Buthelezi previously testified that officers entered the shack to retrieve Sibiya’s identity document, where they then located a 9mm pistol.
Sibiya strongly denied the claim.“They never asked for my identity document. When they noticed that no one was inside, they knocked the door down,” he said.
He insisted that no firearm or cleaning rod was ever found at the shack, adding that he first heard of those items when he appeared in court.
“The police never informed me that they found these items. I only heard about them in Tembisa Magistrate’s Court.”
When asked whether he had ever seen the weapon, Sibiya replied, “I’ve never seen them. The court asked for the firearm, but the police couldn’t produce it because they said it had been sent for fingerprint testing.”
Baloyi also questioned Sibiya about claims that he was assaulted by police after his arrest. Sibiya told the court that he was beaten for several hours at a municipal compound. “
Yes, that’s correct,” he said when asked whether he was assaulted until he urinated on himself.
“That is how I ended up taking my pants off because they were dirty. The police took the trousers.”
The court adjourned early on Wednesday to allow officials to attend a memorial service for a colleague, with proceedings set to resume this morning.
Sibiya is one of five men accused of murdering Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa, who was shot dead in Vosloorus in October 2014.
The trial has stretched for years amid allegations of police misconduct, tampering with evidence, and conflicting witness statements.
Watch the SABC News live broadcast of the Senzo Meyiwa trial below:
