The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes today in the Pretoria High Court, where the cross-examination of accused number one, Muzi Sibiya, continues. Proceedings are expected to begin at 10:00 SAST, and the live stream of the trial is available below.
Sibiya, who has maintained his innocence, was on Monday confronted with claims made by his late lawyer, Thulani Mngomezulu, who had previously told the court that Longwe Twala accidentally shot himself during a scuffle with his then-girlfriend, Zandi Khumalo, before the firearm discharged again, fatally wounding Meyiwa.
During Monday’s session, Sibiya distanced himself from his former attorney’s version of events, telling the court:
“What the late Mngomezulu said, I know nothing about it and I don’t know how he said this. He’s no longer here to come and answer for himself, and I don’t even know how he was going to prove it. What I know is the following: I know nothing about the death of Senzo.”
The State is expected to wrap up its cross-examination today, after which re-examination will begin.
The prosecution also suffered a setback earlier this week when Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng ruled that the State could not question Sibiya about the alleged confession made by co-accused Bongani Ntanzi.
The judge said such questioning would violate Sibiya’s constitutional rights and undermine the fairness of the trial.
“The ruling I made against Mr Baloyi stands — he cannot use the statement of accused number two to cross-examine accused number one,” Mokgoatlheng said.
The court also reiterated that it has not yet determined the legal standing of either accused’s statement, noting that both fall short of an unequivocal confession of guilt.
The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, now in its third year, centres on the 2014 shooting of the Bafana Bafana captain at the Vosloorus home of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo.
Five men are on trial for charges including murder, robbery, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Today’s proceedings will continue focusing on the inconsistencies in witness statements and alleged confessions that have been central to the case.
Watch the live stream of the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial below.
