Meyiwa witness retracts accused's admission claim
A witness in the Senzo Meyiwa trial told the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday that Bongani Ntanzi never admitted to killing the former Bafana Bafana captain.
Jack Buthelezi is close friends with Ntanzi, who is accused number two in the Meyiwa trial, having known him since 2008.
Initially, Buthelezi told the court that Ntanzi confessed the murder to him.
According to Buthelezi, Ntanzi made the revelation shortly after his court appearance in Rustenburg in July 2020.
Buthelezi said he could not make it to court on time, and met up with Ntanzi in town while he was under police guard.
He went on to tell the court of a conversation with Ntanzi inside a police vehicle.
“When we started having a conversation, he said that he had a case against himself as he has been arrested. He also said 'I've been arrested because I had been found in the possession of ammunition. I have been arrested for a case where we had killed Meyiwa at Vosloorus at a party with Maphisa and friends'."
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Buthelezi did not reveal Maphisa's identity.
But one of the five men on trial for Meyiwa’s murder is Mthokoziseni Maphisa, who is accused number four.
Under cross-examination on Tuesday, Buthelezi retracted his earlier statement that it was Ntanzi who killed Meyiwa.
Advocate Zandile Mshololo, who represents accused number four, asked Buthelezi to clarify his statement.
“Did accused number two say he is arrested because he killed Senzo, or he said that he is arrested because the police says he killed Senzo?" questioned Mshololo.
“He said 'I am arrested because it is alleged I killed Senzo',” responded Buthelezi.
