The distraught family of footballer Senzo Meyiwa, who was gunned down in 2014 in what the State believes was a botched robbery and the defence believes was a cold-blooded murder, have lost trust in the justice system. 

This comes after the trial hit yet another snag, this time owing to presiding Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela’s ill health. The trial was scheduled to resume for the rest of the week, but did not.

Gauteng Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba told the court on Monday: “The reason why I am appearing is because my colleague Judge Maumela is not available due to ill health and may not be available for a long time, subject to what his doctors may say.”

Ledwaba did not rule out the possibility of another judge presiding over the trial.

“However, because of the importance of this matter and the publicity it is getting from the media, we have made arrangements that this matter should proceed in the third term so it can be finalised as soon as possible,” Ledwaba said. 

It has been postponed by more than a month to 17 July 2023. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Warning issued over delays in Senzo Meyiwa murder trial – ‘Memories fade and witnesses forget’ 

The five accused on trial are: Fisokuhle Ntuli, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube and Mthokoziseni Maphisa. They face charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. They have all pleaded not guilty.

The trial has experienced several delays since it commenced. The Meyiwa family, who travelled from KwaZulu-Natal to Pretoria to be a part of the proceedings, were visibly distraught at the announcement of the latest postponement. 

“What did Senzo do for him not to get justice 10 years later?” Meyiwa’s sister Nomalanga said during an interview with SABC.

“We’ve walked a long journey with an open wound, not knowing what is happening and there are a lot of negative comments about this trial and it looks like we will keep hearing these things. I still believe that even in the third term, it’s not going to proceed, because there’s been too many distractions in this trial of which we don’t know what happened, we don’t know what it is that Senzo did for him not to get justice 10 years later,” Nomalanga said.

“I don’t know if the people in the process of this trial even think Senzo has a mother who gets emotional each time there is a postponement. Today is very hard for us to accept because we only heard this morning … We believe the judge did not get ill today or yesterday. They should have communicated with us and indicated that we should not make any arrangements. It’s very sad and emotional for us.” 

At the time of the shooting, Meyiwa was in the presence of his then girlfriend, musician Kelly Khumalo; Khumalo’s mother, Ntombi; her sister, Zandie; Zandie’s then boyfriend, Longwe Twala; and two of Meyiwa’s friends, Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala. 

Both Thwala and Madlala have taken the stand to give evidence about what transpired at the Khumalo home nine years ago. The defence poked several holes in their testimonies. During their testimony and cross-examination, both broke down, overwhelmed with emotion. 

On Monday, Zandie was due to continue with her testimony, which began on 18 May. At the start of her testimony, Zandie testified she wanted justice for her sister’s slain lover. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Zandie Khumalo’s U-turn on the stand – can now ID suspect as an intruder on day of killing 

She gave her version of what transpired on the day, maintaining that it was a botched robbery that saw three gunshots fired in the Khumalo household. Both Thwala and Madlala could not take the court into confidence about the total number of gunshots fired, saying it was between one and two. 

Khumalo was emotionally rattled during the testimony, asking the accused: “Do you know what you have done to our lives? Do you even know what you have done to us as a family?” 

Another critical part of her testimony was when she pointed to accused number two, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, as one of the men present on the night Meyiwa was killed.

This was despite her saying in a television interview she would not be able to identify the two intruders as they had worn masks and a long time had elapsed since the incident.

“They were wearing masks half of the time, so there is no way I can say it’s this one or that one … Maybe they’ve cut their hair, maybe they’ve gained weight; it’s been a while.” 

Khumalo is expected to conclude her testimony before she is cross-examined by the defence when the trial resumes on 17 July. DM