Police colonel denies receiving complaint over Ntanzi’s cellphone

Accused number two in Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Bongani Ntanzi seen appearing in court.

Bongani Ntanzi’s third witness, Colonel Silas Thoka, says he did not receive any complaint regarding Ntanzi allegedly being in possession of a cellphone.

Thoka, the Station Commander at Villieria Police Station, has been testifying before the Pretoria High Court in an attempt to clarify whether proper documentation was completed – regarding items allegedly confiscated from Ntanzi.

These include a cellphone the State claims was in his possession, while in his prison cell.

Ntanzi and four others are on trial for the 2014 murder of former Bafana Bafana captain, Senzo Meyiwa, who was shot and killed at singer Kelly Khumalo’s mother house in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg.

The trial had a delayed start on Tuesday after the defence raised concerns over a missing occurrence book requested from police records. Legal counsel, Sipho Ramosepele, informed the court that only two of the three requested occurrence books have been provided.

Despite this, proceedings continued with testimony from Colonel Thoka about a cellphone allegedly confiscated from accused two Bongani Ntanzi.

Thoka revealed that he was not aware of any official complaint relating to the cellphone allegedly found in Ntanzi’s possession.

Ramosepele: They asked Mr Ntanzi nonchalantly to produce the phone that he was alleged to be having in his position, and that Mr Ntanzi then retrieved that phone and gave it to them.

Thoka: I have no information relating to that my lord.

Ramosepele: That the phone was retrieved and packaged in the presence of Ntanzi and it was then taken to Villiera and the following day, the phone was taken for downloading at the Tactical Support Unit in Mpumalanga, on the 8th of February 2021, what do you have to say about that?

Thoka: I don’t have any idea about that. But if there was anything found in the cell, it should have been returned and registered my lord.

Ramosepele further argued that the documentation does not reflect that Ntanzi was formally charged.

Ramosepele: Now, I’m summarising it and bringing it together to say in that OB (Occurrence Book) where Ntanzi was charged, according to the investigating officer that charged him, is it reflected there under the 26th of October 2020 that he was charged by the cells in Villieria.

Thoka: There is no reflection. I think I’ve explained this for that purpose.

Legal counsel, Zithulele Ncumalo, representing Mthokoziseni Maphisa is expected to cross examine the witness on Wednesday.