By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Advocate Sipho Ramosepele legal counsel in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has told the Pretoria High Court that disclosing the accused’s cellphone numbers in court, as well as those associated to them, has resulted in cyberbullying.
Ramosepele requested that phone numbers of family members not be read out in full. This is because someone called the mother of accused number two on Tuesday.
He made this statement as Pinky Vythilingam, the Vodacom forensic liaison supervisor, was testifying in the case about the accused’s mobile actions.
“After some of the names and numbers of the people on exhibit DD5 annexure, a call was place to accused number five’s mother by some idiot, spewing vitriol and idiocy.
“We have discussed with the state that in such a situation, we think that, especially for my client, it will be on a case-by-case basis. Because some of the names are sensitive. And therefore if we refer to some of the numbers, we should refer to the last four digits,” Ramosepele stated.
On Thursday, Vythilingam was expected to give evidence about the distance between cellphone towers that pinged on some of the accused’s phones.
The Pretoria high court had taken an early adjournment on Wednesday to allow the state to furnish the defence with the information and for them to take instruction from their clients.
However, when proceedings got under way on Thursday morning, advocate Charles Mnisi, representing Mthobisi Mncube, raised concerns that the maps provided do not reflect other areas in Vosloorus, including the Basotho hostel where the plan for the murder was allegedly hatched.
“We thought that what we will be provided with will be a composite reflection of the areas — there are also areas around Vosloorus which are not depicted here that form part of our defence in terms of the information.”
Mnisi said the defence’s position that the accused was not at the scene still stands. “That did not change, but as part of our defence, there is a version that we have that evolves around Vosloorus.
“We are going to ask the state to supply us with a composite map, the map that is going to reflect a greater area of Vosloorus than the one they provided us with.
“They just picked and chose based on what is reflected in the section 205 statement, but the defence goes beyond that. We wanted to find out where the Basotho hostel is. We don’t get it here on this map, so we are unable to get proper instructions from them [accused] in that regard,” he said.
Over the past few weeks, the court heard testimony from Vythilingam on phone calls made and received by some of the accused around the time Meyiwa was killed.
Vythilingam also named tower locations that pinged during the transactions.
The defence claims that without the comprehensive map, they are unable to take proper instruction from their clients.
Meyiwa was shot and killed in a robbery at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s house in Vosloorus in October 2014.
Five men believed to have been involved in the shooting are behind bars, standing trial for the crime.
Mncube, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya‚ Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi‚ Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli have pleaded not guilty to murdering Meyiwa.