Witness alleges torture and unlawful arrest in Meyiwa trial

Goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa of South Africa’s Orlando Pirates is beaten by a goal made by Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt’s Al Ahli during the first leg of their African Champions League final soccer match at Orlando Stadium in Soweto November 2, 2013.

The defence in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has called Bongani Ntanzi’s first witness, who was allegedly tortured and unlawfully arrested by police in June 2020.

Mandlenkosi “Shoes” Zondo, a childhood friend of accused number two Ntanzi, told the High Court in Pretoria that the police failed to read him his rights and only informed him of the reason for his arrest once he arrived at the Yeoville Correctional Centre.

Ntanzi, along with four co-accused, is standing trial for the 2014 murder of the former Bafana Bafana captain, Senzo Meyiwa.

Meyiwa was shot and killed at the home of singer Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg.

In support of Ntanzi’s defence, Zondo stated he did not participate in the 2014 murder of former Bafana Bafana captain. Zondo recalls how he was allegedly assaulted after visiting accused number four, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and bringing him toiletries.

“Their reason was that I visited Maphisa at the prison and brought him toiletries. Then he said we heard that you are the mastermind of criminals and today, I will tell them the truth. After that they put plastic on me, tied it on the side.”

Zondo says his father and the father of accused number one, Muzi Sibiya knew each other from KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal. Responding to defence counsel Sipho Ramosepele, Zondo added that he regarded Ntanzi as a younger brother.

Ramosepele: When did you first meet Mr Ntanzi?

Zondo: My Lord, even though I cannot really be specific about the year I met him, but what I can say is that the section, my section, and his section are under one area. So, since he was part of my team of the traditional dance, the Live Mine would cover, transport, and also food and my Lord, since Ntanzi was working for a different mine, what I’d normally do, I would fetch him with my own transport from his mine, and he would be around from Friday until Sunday.

The trial continues at the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.