Senzo Meyiwa trial: Zandie Khumalo writes letter to Ramaphosa
"My biggest wish would be to try to bring a bit of pace to the proceedings of this case,” says Zandie about the delays in the murder trial.
Kelly Khumalo's sister, Zandie Khumalo, has written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa in the hopes of speeding up the murder trial of Senzo Meyiwa.
Zandie was one of several people who were at a house in Vosloorus in Gauteng when the Bafana Bafana captain was shot dead in October 2014. He was 27.
Zandie, who gave witness testimony during the trial, shared a letter she sent to the offices of the president and chief justice.
"Mr. President the reason I'm writing to you this letter is because I have a plea that I would like to make to you... I would like to request a serious prioritization of the Senzo Meyiwa case going forward," she wrote.
The singer adds that her "biggest wish" is for officials to "bring a bit of pace to the proceedings of this case".
"I would like for the sake of the families who haven't found closure after so long to request that one court be earmarked specifically for this case, a specific law team be appointed to deal with nothing else but this case, and this case be in court from Monday to Friday until it is concluded and a verdict has been given."
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Zandie says it is time to do away with the postponements, delays, and breaks in the case.
"It has been a long painful 8 years for the families that were and are still very much affected by the incident," she wrote, adding that her family has done everything in their power to assist law officials with their investigations.
Kelly and Zandie's boyfriend at the time, Longwe Twala, were also at the home when Senzo was killed in an alleged robbery gone wrong.
The trio has faced the wrath of the public over the years, as many believe there is more to the story than meets the eye. They have always maintained their innocence.
Five people were arrested in connection to the murder in 2020.
"The South African Police Service and the prosecution team are confident that we have a water-tight case against all five suspects. At this point, we cannot reveal any further information as investigations are still ongoing and more arrests cannot be ruled out," Police Minister Bheki Cele said at the time.
Zandie says she wants justice for Senzo.
"People have been bleeding for 8 years, Mr. President, and prolonging and dragging this case even more won't help them in any way. Insults have been hurled, accusations have been thrown, and theories have been created, so it is in the best interest of the country at large that the case be prioritized and fast-tracked."
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The murder trial will continue on July 17. It was postponed last month after the presiding judge fell ill.
"The reason why I'm appearing today is because my colleague, Judge Maumela, is not available due to ill health and may not be available for a long time subject to what his medical doctors may say.
"However, because of the importance of this matter and the publicity that it is getting from the media, we have made arrangements that this matter should proceed in the third term so that it can be finalised as soon as possible," Gauteng Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba told the court, according to EWN.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has since been appointed to oversee the trial. Judge Maumela and Judge Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi were suspended last week "to allow the Judicial Conduct Tribunal to investigate suspected misconduct regarding alleged excessive delays by the judges in handing down a significant number of judgments".
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After the suspension of Judge Tshifiwa Maumela the Senzo Meyiwa trial has been handed over to Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng pic.twitter.com/MEQxznWbOE
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) July 3, 2023
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Main image credit: Instagram/@zandie_khumalo_gumede
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