Defence fails in bid to bar Netflix from Senzo Meyiwa trial
The defence attorney for accused number one to four has failed his bid to stop a production company from recording court proceedings in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
Advocate Malesela Teffo filed an application in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday seeking to throw out Ten Ten films from recording the Senzo Meyiwa trial.
Ten Ten is the production company that aired the Netflix documentary series on the soccer star.
Teffo argued that the flighting of the documentary on Netflix in the days before the trial resumed exposed his witnesses to intimidation.
He believes the documentary will prevent his clients receiving a fair trial.
Teffo futher argued that Netflix, under 10/10 productions, does not form part of any news organisation.
“When you talk about news organisations you talk about 403, 405. These are the mainstream media houses. They are regulated under the BCCSA. If there is anything that is done wrong by those media houses that I mentioned, we know where to go and record them. We cannot go to the police station to report them. That is madness.”
#SenzoMeyiwa Judge Maumela says that he found it "worrisome" that ten-ten films admitted in court that "it wouldn't be illegal" to flight the second part of the documentary while the trial is underway.
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) May 30, 2022
However, Judge Tshifiwa Maumela poured cold water on the claims.
He told Teffo that he would not order anyone to leave the courtroom.
“Based on what I have just said, I cannot order the people representing Netflix to vacate the courtroom. I can imagine that whoever has an issue will take it up through the proper legal channels so that this matter can get the proper attention. So, my final ruling is that the court is not ordering anybody out that applied to participate in this trial, especially when you applied on the basis that they formed part and parcel of what are media houses,” said Maumela.
Muzi Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokozisi Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli have all been charged with the premeditated murder of the late football star.
Other charges include attempted murder, armed robbery, posesseion of firearms without a licence, and the illegal possession of the ammunition.
The trial will resume on Tuesday, where police sergeant Thabo Mosia will conclude his cross-examination testimony.
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