The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes in the Pretoria High Court today, with the proceedings once again in the spotlight as the court continues to hear evidence and test the credibility of witnesses in one of South Africa’s most closely watched murder cases.
The hearing is being broadcast live, and the stream is embedded below for readers to follow developments in real time.
Recent testimony in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has centred on allegations that investigating officers brutally tortured a state witness, raising serious questions about police conduct in the case.
Witness claims torture by investigating officers
State witness Sifiso Gwabini Zungu, described as a crucial witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, told the court that he was assaulted and suffocated by police officers who were seeking information about the footballer’s 2014 killing.
Testifying at the Pretoria High Court, Zungu alleged that officers picked him up from his home in June, handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a red vehicle driven by an officer he recognised as Mogane.
He said his head was later covered with a plastic bag after officers showed him pictures of women from the Sibiya family and demanded that he identify them.
Zungu told the court he struggled to breathe and believed he was being taken to the Vosloorus police station, but instead the vehicle drove to a municipal area where he was allegedly kicked repeatedly “like a drum filled with water” while another officer, whom he identified as Buthelezi, stamped on his handcuffs with booted feet.
He displayed a scar on his left arm, which the court measured, and said he lost consciousness during the assault.
When he regained consciousness, he was drenched, and another officer, Mabena, was holding a five-litre water container.
Zungu further claimed that the officers took him to a cemetery near Chris Hani Mall, between Vosloorus and Katlehong, where the assault continued until about 04:00.
He said a passing motorist briefly stopped but drove away after seeing what was happening.
According to his testimony, officers used a loudspeaker to speak to a person whose voice he recognised and pressed him to disclose the whereabouts of accused Muzi Sibiya on the night Meyiwa was killed.
Zungu maintained that he knew nothing about soccer or soccer players and denied his uncle Constable Sizwe Zungu’s earlier claim that all five accused had attended a gathering at his Vosloorus home on the night of the shooting, insisting:
“There was no such gathering.”
The court has heard that these torture allegations form part of the broader picture the defence is seeking to place before the judge as it challenges the reliability of the state’s case and the methods allegedly used during the investigation.
Latest from the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial
The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial relates to the fatal shooting of the Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper at the Vosloorus home of his then girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in October 2014.
Several men are on trial for his murder and related offences, and they have pleaded not guilty.
As the trial resumes today, the Pretoria High Court is expected to continue dealing with evidence around the conduct of investigating officers and the competing versions presented by state witnesses and the defence.
The details emerging from the witness stand are likely to inform future arguments about the admissibility and reliability of evidence in the matter.
How to watch the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial live
Today’s sitting in the Pretoria High Court is scheduled to run through the day as the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial continues.
