Meyiwa accused was told to confess to ‘neutral person’, court hears
A witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has told the High Court in Pretoria that Brigadier Bongani Gininda advised accused number two to confess the details of the football star’s death to a “neutral” person.
The suggestion was allegedly made while witness Sergeant Vus’umzi Mogane, Gininda and Ntanzi drove back from the accused’s place of work at Sibanye Stillwater on the West Rand in June 2020.
Ntanzi was apparently willing to talk after his former workplace confirmed to police that he was not at work on the day of Meyiwa’s death in October 2014.
Mogane says that while they were driving back from the West Rand, Ntanzi told them that he was willing to confess the details of Meyiwa’s murder.
But Gininda insisted that Ntanzi be provided with an appropriate person before providing the police with any information.
“Brigadier Gininda read him his rights again,” Mogane told the court on Monday.
“He told him that what he will say must be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Then he started talking. But then (Gininda) stopped him right there and said don’t go further. Since I am the investigating officer in this case, I will need this to be performed by someone who is neutral. He then spoke about the confession. When we parted, I said, ‘Mr Ntanzi, are you satisfied?’ And he said he is satisfied.”
The trial-within-a-trial continued on Monday, where defence attorneys are challenging the admissibility of alleged confessions made by accused number one Muzi Sibiya and Ntanzi.
It is alleged that Ntanzi made two confessions in June 2020.
The first was allegedly made before Warrant Officer Meshack Makhubo at Moroka Police Station.
The second would be made before Magistrate Vivian Cronje in Boksburg.
But Ntanzi has disputed this version of events.
His defence counsel, Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, told the court that Ntanzi was assaulted and coerced into drafting a confession.
Proceedings will continue on Tuesday.
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