Elton Hart of the University of Johannesburg Law Clinic says Senzo Meyiwa’s friend Mthokozisi Thwala lacks credibility. Thwala testified in Pretoria’s High Court on Thursday about the late football star’s death.
He was one of the people in the house when Meyiwa was shot dead.
Thwala couldn’t hold back tears as he told the court how a police officer had tortured him to force him to confess to the murder of the Bafana Bafana captain.
However, Hart says a lot of what Thwala said doesn’t add up. “He’s saying he was tortured for three to four hours but yet he did not open a case and there’s no medical report. So for me I don’t trust this witness either, although he was in the house his testimony says he ran out of the house and he didn’t see what happened but now he’s giving evidence. A lot of things from this witness for me don’t add up. When he’s cross-examined the contradictions will start coming up.”
Thwala is expected to be back in the High Court in Pretoria this morning. He is the second state witness in the trial for the murder of the soccer star.
Five men are accused of involvement in Meyiwa’s murder.
Five men are currently on trial for the murder of the soccer star who died in 2014.
Thwala is the second state witness who was inside the house when Meyiwa was shot and killed. He detailed how a gun-wielding man entered the house from the kitchen and advanced towards them demanding their phones and money.
Teffo accuses High Court
Meanwhile, Malesela Teffo has accused the High Court in Pretoria of what he terms concocting the reasons for striking him off the roll as an advocate. He says some senior judges feared he would expose corrupt individuals within the judiciary.
Teffo sought to give clarity on the matter with the Legal Practice Council as well as his role in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
The trial resumed on Tuesday but was delayed when the disbarred Teffo demanded to see Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela. Teffo represented four of the accused in the trial but withdrew in August last year.
After complaints of malpractice, he was removed from the roll of legal practitioners, a month later.
Teffo spoke to the SABC News on the sidelines of the Meyiwa trial in the High Court in Pretoria.
“I never had any squabbles with my colleagues the only issue was when I was supposed to go and see the judge in the chambers as the officer of the court because there is information that I do have from the time when this case was on recess for six months ago. There have been serious developments in this matter. We used to know that we have case one and case two but now there are case dockets 3, and 4 in this matter. So the delay was caused by the judge as he was refusing me. I got information that I need to convey to the court which also implicates the judge. If I cannot divulge this I will be guilty myself.”
