Metro cop denies assaulting accused into admitting Meyiwa murder details
A metro police officer has denied involvement in the alleged assault of two accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
Wendell Jonathan, a metro police officer in Ekurhuleni, was called to the stand by the state in the High Court in Pretoria on Friday.
At the time of Meyiwa'a death in 2014, Jonathan was then attached to the SWAT team in Ekurhuleni, which has since been disbanded.
Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, who represents Muzi Sibiya and Bongani Ntanzi, questioned Jonathan about his involvement in the alleged assault of the accused.
“Were you in anyway involved in the tubing of both the accused?" he asked.
“No, my lord, as the only interaction we would have with the accused was during the escorting,” responded Jonathan.
Evidence put before the court has revealed that Jonathan was one of three police officers who escorted Sibiya and Ntanzi at the time of their alleged confessions.
He also escorted Sibiya to Vosloorus for an apparent “pointing out” of Meyiwa’s murder scene in May 2020.
It's during the time when the two were escorted that Jonathan and his colleagues allegedly assaulted Ntanzi and Sibiya.
The claim has been disputed by Jonathan and earlier witness Mohale Raphadu during his testimony.
Raphadu is one of the police officers who allegedly took down one of Ntanzi’s confessions.
Testifying in court on Friday, Raphadu also stated that Ntanzi made no mention of any assault or coercion.
“It was never reported to me. I even took off his clothes and didn’t see marks on his body,” he said.
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