A lead investigating officer Brig Bongani Gininda has denied being pressured to crack the Senzo Meyiwa case.
This comes after Adv Thulani Mngomezulu, representing Muzi Sibiya, asked Gininda if he arrested the five accused prematurely because of the case being of national interest, and that the national government was pressuring him.
Gininda told the court that he followed the basis of the evidence he had received before making the arrest and that no one had put him under pressure.
“There was no pressure, my lord. What was required of us [him and his investigating team] was to regularly brief the family of Meyiwa, which is understandable because they lost someone they loved and they were feeling like they were not getting justice and I was updating AfriForum because they were representing the family,” he said.
Gininda told the court that when the matter was given to him in 2018, it was categorised as a cold case because it was unsolved.
“The matter was under unsolved cases because at the time it was brought to me, it was unsolved. The second part, the matter was given to me by the national commissioner at that time, who told me to look into the matter.”
Meyiwa was killed during an alleged robbery in October 26 2014 at his former girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus.
Four days later, the police arrested Zamokuhle Mbatha.
However, on November 15, the Boksburg magistrate's court dropped the charges against Mbatha because of insufficient evidence. Mbatha has since launched a lawsuit against the state for his wrongful arrest.
In May 2020, the police under Gininda arrested Muzi Sibiya, who is among the five men accused of killing Meyiwa.
The court has heard that Sibiya was initially arrested for a drug-related crime and when the police searched his shack they found unlicensed live ammunition. He then told the police that the firearm was somewhere in a hostel in Vosloorus.
Gininda said on the day they arrested Sibiya they informed him that they believed he was connected to Meyiwa’s murder. According to Gininda, Sibiya then confessed to being at Khumalo’s house at the time of the crime and pointed out the crime scene in June 2020.
Mngomezulu told the court that although his client was charged for the murder in August 2020, his first court appearance was only two months later.
However, Gininda denied this, stating that all the accused were formally charged on October 26 2020.
“They were charged for this matter on October 26 and made their first appearance the next day. However, when they were formally charged they were in detention for other [criminal] matters,”
The trial within a trial set to determine the admissibility of the confession made by Sibiya and his co-accused Bongani Ntanzi is expected to continue on Thursday.
Meyiwa case sleuth Gininda denies acting under duress
Lawyer probes whether Sibiya’s arrest was a result of pressure
A lead investigating officer Brig Bongani Gininda has denied being pressured to crack the Senzo Meyiwa case.
This comes after Adv Thulani Mngomezulu, representing Muzi Sibiya, asked Gininda if he arrested the five accused prematurely because of the case being of national interest, and that the national government was pressuring him.
Gininda told the court that he followed the basis of the evidence he had received before making the arrest and that no one had put him under pressure.
“There was no pressure, my lord. What was required of us [him and his investigating team] was to regularly brief the family of Meyiwa, which is understandable because they lost someone they loved and they were feeling like they were not getting justice and I was updating AfriForum because they were representing the family,” he said.
Gininda told the court that when the matter was given to him in 2018, it was categorised as a cold case because it was unsolved.
“The matter was under unsolved cases because at the time it was brought to me, it was unsolved. The second part, the matter was given to me by the national commissioner at that time, who told me to look into the matter.”
Meyiwa was killed during an alleged robbery in October 26 2014 at his former girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus.
Four days later, the police arrested Zamokuhle Mbatha.
However, on November 15, the Boksburg magistrate's court dropped the charges against Mbatha because of insufficient evidence. Mbatha has since launched a lawsuit against the state for his wrongful arrest.
In May 2020, the police under Gininda arrested Muzi Sibiya, who is among the five men accused of killing Meyiwa.
The court has heard that Sibiya was initially arrested for a drug-related crime and when the police searched his shack they found unlicensed live ammunition. He then told the police that the firearm was somewhere in a hostel in Vosloorus.
Gininda said on the day they arrested Sibiya they informed him that they believed he was connected to Meyiwa’s murder. According to Gininda, Sibiya then confessed to being at Khumalo’s house at the time of the crime and pointed out the crime scene in June 2020.
Mngomezulu told the court that although his client was charged for the murder in August 2020, his first court appearance was only two months later.
However, Gininda denied this, stating that all the accused were formally charged on October 26 2020.
“They were charged for this matter on October 26 and made their first appearance the next day. However, when they were formally charged they were in detention for other [criminal] matters,”
The trial within a trial set to determine the admissibility of the confession made by Sibiya and his co-accused Bongani Ntanzi is expected to continue on Thursday.