Pretoria - The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has been postponed to June 12 due to the unavailability of the legal representatives involved in the case.
The long postponement was announced at the end of proceedings at the Pretoria High Court on Friday after the State indicated that one of the lawyers would not be available next week.
State advocate George Baloyi notified the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria about the postponement on Friday after leading Zandile Lorraine Khumalo into evidence.
The postponement comes after the court spent three days this week after Zandile, who is the current witness on the stand, made an application seeking to bar live proceedings of her testimony.
The court on Wednesday eventually dismissed the application after defence attorneys and a legal representative representing electronic media broadcasters made representations in court.
Judge Tshifiwa Maumela ordered that the media broadcast Zandile’s testimony by audio and barred it from showing her face.
She had expressed discomfort at testifying in front of TV cameras, saying she feared for her life and expressed she did not want to be ridiculed by members of the public.
Other witnesses such as Tumelo Madlala and Mthokozisi Thwala, who were both Meyiwa’s friends, testified under the same conditions.
Zandile, a musician, is the sister of musician Kelly Khumalo, who was dating Meyiwa when he was killed.
On Thursday, Zandile pointed out accused number two, Bongani Ntanzi, as one of the men she saw on the day of the incident.
This is the second witness who has identified Ntanzi, after Meyiwa’s childhood friend, Tumelo Madlala, also positively identified him as one of the attackers.
She said during the scuffle, Meyiwa was wrestling with one of the intruders who had dreadlocks and was carrying a firearm.
Meyiwa was killed while visiting Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus, south-east of Joburg.
Bongani Ntanzi, Sifisokuhle Ntuli, Muzikawukhulelwa Sthemba Sibiya, Mthobisi Prince Ncube and Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa have been charged with the October 26, 2014 murder.
The State alleges that the footballer was killed in a botched house robbery.
In the house that day were Meyiwa, Kelly, Zandile, their mother Ntombi Khumalo (MaKhumalo), Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, Kelly’s then 4-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.
The trial will resume with Zandile’s testimony on June 12.
IOL