The long-running murder trial of five men accused of killing South African soccer star Senzo Meyiwa continued in the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday, keeping one of the country's most-watched criminal cases in the spotlight.
According to TimesLIVE, the five accused — Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli — are standing trial for the murder of the former Bafana Bafana captain and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, who was fatally shot during a home invasion in Vosloorus on October 26, 2014. All five have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
The trial, which has been marked by delays, adjournments and dramatic courtroom moments, resumed this week with proceedings continuing before the court, SABC News reports. In recent sessions the state and defense clashed over photographs being used to cross-examine accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube, with the defense objecting that prosecutors were introducing evidence not properly placed before the court.
Meyiwa was 27 when he died at the home of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, a killing that sent shockwaves across South Africa and left fans mourning for more than a decade, according to the Sowetan. The case remains one of the nation's most closely followed criminal proceedings, with proceedings expected to continue in the coming days.
The five accused face charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of an unlicensed firearm, according to court reporting. Legal observers say the case, now in its latest phase, continues to test South Africa's justice system more than a decade after a killing that stunned the nation and left a sporting community in mourning.