By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Brigadier Bongani Gininda took to the stand as a state witness in the high-profile trial on Tuesday, and is expected to detail the alleged confessions by accused two Bongani Ntanzi and accused number one Muzi Sibiya in the Senzo Meyiwa trial.
State prosecutor, Advocate George Baloyi, led Gininda in his evidence-in-chief.
“I just want to show you exhibit DD1… You also refer to the accused bank statements from Capitec Bank. I just want to show you exhibit DD1 in the main trial. Can you identify it?,” Baloyi asked.
“Yes, my lord, exhibit DD1 contains bank statements of accused number two. It contains his entire ID card together with his picture, ID number and full name. That is in relation to accused number two…These are the records and relate to the second alibi that was found to be false,” said Gininda.
“Are there any transactions that are shown?” probed Baloyi.
“On the 27 October 2014, there were no transactions because I had checked, and they weren’t there,” said Gininda.
Ntanzi’s first alibi has also been found to be false.
After his arrest in June, police drove him to his former employer Sibanye-Stillwater, which revealed that Ntanzi was not at work on the day Meyiwa was gunned down.
According to clock-in records at the mine, Ntanzi stayed at work for only two hours on 25 October 2014 before he left.
Previous testimony in the main trial placed Ntanzi and the co-accused at the Basotho Hostel in Vosloorus on the day of Meyiwa’s death.
Meanwhile a prison warder in the Meyiwa murder trial said his scuffle in court with some of the men accused of killing Meyiwa was long coming.
On Monday, warden Enerst Jele got into a fight in court with three accused – Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli – which caught everyone by surprise at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
The incident happened during the court adjournment in the absence of presiding Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng, who was later informed about the fight and called Jele to explain what had happened.
The warden told the court that he got into the scuffle after he asked the accused not to sit on top of the court benches. The other accused, Muzi Sibiya and Bongani Ntanzi stood and watched.
Jele described the incident as a ticking time bomb that was waiting to explode after he reprimanded the men two weeks ago.
“On the 15th, it was Wednesday, I told them that, ‘no guys, yes, it’s an adjournment but you cannot sit like that [siting on top on the bench], and when we got down [to the cells], I called out them to stop that thing. And they told me that it is not my job and my job is only to escort them, and that’s when I told them they are wrong,” said Jele.
He further explained to court that on Monday during the short adjournment the accused shouted at him for reprimanding them.
National Commissioner Samuel Thobakgale has condemned “in the strongest possible way” a brawl that occurred in court on Monday.
Such utter disrespect will not be tolerated, and the department is looking into the incident,” said Thobakgale.
“Correctional officials rendering escort and guarding responsibilities do so on behalf of the state. Hence, any form of unbecoming behaviour warrants a security review so as to ensure the safety of those in closer proximity to the inmates.”
Meanwhile the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the comments by Judge Mokgoatlheng and said his characterisation of SONA 2023, were misguided, unwarranted and revealed a ‘nauseating trend’ of judges becoming political commentators.
Justice Mokgoatlheng, the current judge in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, used the party’s conduct in Parliament during the 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to condemn the unruly behaviour that took place in court on Monday.
The EFF objected to Mokgoatlheng comparing the court scuffle with the assault on democratically elected MPs holding placards calling for an end to corruption, unemployment and violent crime.
“It must always be remembered that the violence in Parliament was solely on the side of parliamentary security, members of SAPS, Ramaphosa’s security detail and unidentifiable armed men, who stormed South Africa’s Parliament and assaulted members.
“Therefore, Mokgoatlheng’s characterisation of the events of SONA 2023 are misguided, unwarranted and reveal a nauseating trend in the judiciary of judges becoming political commentators,” it said.
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