Johannesburg — The Pretoria High Court has ruled that the confessions made by the two men accused of murdering former South African goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa, was deemed admissible.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng handed down the brief ruling on Thursday morning. In his ruling, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng emphasised that he was making a ruling, and not a judgment, and could be reviewed in the main trial, The Citizen said.
“After careful analysis of the evidence presented by the state and the cross-examination”, the judge ruled that the confessions were made freely and voluntarily, and without any coercion.” Motkgoatlheng said.
“Accordingly, the only reason advanced in the judgment for admitting the confession was that the evidence given by the appellant was unsatisfactory. The evidence which he [the magistrate] relied upon in reaching this conclusion is all given after the confession was admitted and it’s related to the contents of the confession rather than the alleged coercion.” he added.
[BREAKING NEWS] #SenzoMeyiwatrial: Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has ruled that confessions By Muzi Sibiya and Bongani Ntanzi were made freely and will be admitted as evidence.
Tune into #Newzroom405 for more details. pic.twitter.com/7ZgS6F7M6n
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 14, 2024
The trial-within-a-trial, which started in October 2022, had sought to determine the admissibility of confession statements. Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu had argued that his clients denied making the confessions freely and voluntarily.
The two men accused, Bongani Ntanzi and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, claimed they were severely assaulted and forced to sign already-prepared confessions, which is against the law. Mokgoatlheng ruled that the the statements were taken lawfully, EWN said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
