Sat. Nov 2nd, 2024

Bongani Ntanzi, one of the murder accused in the Senzo Meyiwa case, contradicted his lawyer regarding the details of his alleged assault by the police during attempts to force a confession to the former Bafana Bafana captain’s murder. Ntanzi, the second accused, faced cross-examination by State prosecutor Ronnie Sibanda in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The court is currently engaged in a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of Ntanzi’s confession statement made shortly after his arrest on June 16, 2020.

Two of the accused, Ntanzi and Muzikawkhulelwa Sibiya, claim severe assault and coercion to confess to the murder. State prosecutor Sibanda challenged Ntanzi’s version, pointing out discrepancies in the vehicle tracking data and conflicting dates of the alleged assault. While Ntanzi acknowledged the confusion in dates, he asserted that he was assaulted, expressing the possibility of a mistake due to human forgetfulness.

Sibanda questioned the absence of mention of injuries from the assault in the police station’s occurrence book, to which Ntanzi responded that information was recorded in his absence, and the police could have written anything that suited them. Ntanzi also denied knowledge of an outstanding matter in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, related to a murder and unlawful possession of a firearm charge. Sibanda challenged this denial, emphasizing that Ntanzi’s counsel extensively questioned police about the Nongoma matter in court. The trial continues with Ntanzi still under cross-examination.

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