Will Senzo Meyiwa murder trial finally end in 2025?

The journey to justice for the family of former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa has been long and fraught with delays, leaving many wondering if the trial into his murder will ever reach a conclusion.

It has been over ten years since Meyiwa’s death shocked South Africa.

Though he was honoured with a state funeral, justice remains elusive a decade later.

Meyiwa was fatally shot on 26 October 2014 while visiting his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, at her family’s home in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.

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Despite the high-profile nature of the case, it took six years for arrests to be made in 2020. The murder trial only began two years later in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, where it has faced multiple restarts.

The case remains unresolved as the five accused men — Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, Mthobisi Mncube, and Fisokuhle Ntuli — maintain their innocence.

Senzo Meyiwa murder trial delays

While the state is approaching the end of its case in the trial, the matter seems to be far from over.

The trial has faced significant setbacks, including a complete restart in July 2023.

Initially overseen by Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, the case had to be reassigned to retired Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng due to his colleague’s ill health.

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However, even under a new presiding officer, the trial has been marred by delays caused by frequent postponements.

A recent incident underscored the trial’s ongoing challenges when Mokgoatlheng, in an attempt to avoid yet another adjournment, offered eye drops to defence lawyer Thulani Mngomezulu, who had requested a pause as he had complained about his sight.

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Therefore, each delay leaves the conclusion of the case shrouded in uncertainty.

Police investigations, prosecution

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, legal analyst Mpumelelo Zikalala emphasised that delivering justice for Meyiwa’s family required two key processes: thorough police investigations and effective prosecution.

Zikalala explained that investigations focus on gathering evidence, including crime scene analysis, while the prosecution is responsible for managing the trial proceedings.

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He also questioned the trial schedule, noting that court sessions typically begin at 10 am and end around 3 pm each day, potentially slowing the case’s progress.

“There’s a plus two to three hours that is lost purely for no apparent reason,” he said.

“It is small things that need to be catered and accounted for by both our law enforcement agencies and the court administration to make sure that there are no delays which are going to take place.”

New law to enforce quicker trials?

Zikalala stated that while Judge Mokgoatlheng has been firm in overseeing the trial, he has often been constrained, at times compelled to grant postponements — particularly to the defence — in the interest of justice.

He pointed out that these delays were necessary to prevent potential gaps in the process that could arise if the accused were to appeal the trial’s outcome later.

“It’s the thoroughness that needs to be applied by the presiding officer who is tasked to make sure the trial goes on without any delays,” Zikalala said.

The legal analyst noted that there was no law imposing time limits on the duration of a trial and agreed that it might be time to have a broader discussion about the issue.

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“One of the things that will cause us to do is to investigate as to what are the delays and what causes those particular delays.

“Is it purely the procedures that are followed? Is it the legislation that is there or is it purely the lack of innovation in the way in which we manage our courts and the way how all these court proceedings are conducted?

“If we can deal with those and delve deeper into them, I think we will be able to come up with a solution to say for us to have speedy trials, these are the things that we need to engage in, these are the processes we need to do so that at the end of the day, we do not wait for so many years for the trial to conclude.”

Could the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial this year?

Furthermore, Zikalala suggested that the trial could potentially conclude by the end of 2025, given that the state appears to have called one of its last witnesses.

The defence will also have an opportunity to present their witnesses before both sides deliver their closing arguments.

The next steps would then involve the verdict and, if the accused are found guilty, sentencing.

“If we are being optimistic by the end of next year maybe the trial will come to an end.

“If there are any other delays that are going to be there… we may look at the year 2025 starting and ending without this matter being wrapped up.

“Maybe in the earlier part of 2026 only”.

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