Courtroom popcorn alert as battered witness drags cops over alleged midnight beatdown in Meyiwa trial, and Pretoria High Court hears accusations that officers pummeled Sifiso Gwabini Zungu into signing a statement in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case; Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng orders those officers back to the stand, forcing prosecutors to reopen part of their narrative.
Zungu, who runs a tuck shop inside the Vosloorus hostel where the state says the five accused gathered before the 2014 shooting, swears no gun swap or plotting ever happened there. Defense argues his signature came under duress, turning cross-examination into a mini-hearing on whether that paperwork can survive or hit the shredder.
He recounts cops bursting into his room, planting bullets under the mattress, then hauling him to a cemetery close to Chris Hani Mall, where, tied up and half-naked, he was kicked, suffocated with a plastic bag, and threatened until a blank page carried his mark. Sunrise found him bruised, scared, and locked into a story he never read.
The saga plays out while South Africa still waits for the truth behind Meyiwa’s fatal shooting inside Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus house. Each delay stretches family heartache and fuels public anger over heavy-handed policing. If the judge dumps the statement, state momentum dips; if officers convince him nothing shady happened, defense momentum stalls. Either way, Monday’s testimony could tilt the scoreboard.
Zungu, who runs a tuck shop inside the Vosloorus hostel where the state says the five accused gathered before the 2014 shooting, swears no gun swap or plotting ever happened there. Defense argues his signature came under duress, turning cross-examination into a mini-hearing on whether that paperwork can survive or hit the shredder.
He recounts cops bursting into his room, planting bullets under the mattress, then hauling him to a cemetery close to Chris Hani Mall, where, tied up and half-naked, he was kicked, suffocated with a plastic bag, and threatened until a blank page carried his mark. Sunrise found him bruised, scared, and locked into a story he never read.
The saga plays out while South Africa still waits for the truth behind Meyiwa’s fatal shooting inside Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus house. Each delay stretches family heartache and fuels public anger over heavy-handed policing. If the judge dumps the statement, state momentum dips; if officers convince him nothing shady happened, defense momentum stalls. Either way, Monday’s testimony could tilt the scoreboard.
