Africa-Press – South-Africa. One of the men believed to be behind the murder of former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa wants to be released on bail because he is the sole breadwinner at home.
Bongani Ntanzi appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday, where he asked to be granted bail.
However, the State opposed the bail application, saying he had made two confessions, one of which was made before a magistrate.
During the bail application, Ntanzi’s eldest brother told the court the accused was the sole breadwinner for his two children who lived in KwaNongoma, KwaZulu-Natal.
Ntanzi’s attorney TT Thobane, argued his client should be granted bail as he was the breadwinner for his family.
Thobane also raised arguments around the interest of justice and presumption of being innocent until proven guilty.
The prosecutor, advocate George Baloyi, opposed the application, saying Ntanzi had made two confession statements.
Baloyi said the first confession was made to a police officer, while the second – taken five days later – was made before a magistrate in the presence of Ntanzi’s attorney.
In his affidavit, the State pointed out, Ntanzi only referred to one confession statement, which he claimed he was forced to make after being assaulted.
These confessions allegedly detailed the role he played in Meyiwa’s murder and pointed to what his co-accused did.
Baloyi was adamant the court would accept the confession once a trial-within-a-trial was held on the admissibility of the confession statements.
The State argued because Ntanzi made no mention of the second confession, “one could infer that he did not place it in dispute”.
It accused Ntanzi of lying about where he was on the day Meyiwa was shot in his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus house on 26 October 2014.
Ntanzi allegedly told police he was at work on the day of the murder.
At the time, Ntanzi was working at the Sibanye gold mine on the West Rand.
Baloyi said the mine manager refuted this claim as there was no record of him clocking in or out for work on that day.
The court heard Meyiwa’s friend, Tumelo Madlala, identified Ntanzi as the second assailant who entered the house.
Madlala also testified Meyiwa had pinned Ntanzi against the wall when a gunshot rang out.
Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa S’Tembu Sibiya, Mthobisi Prince Mncube and Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa are currently on trial for the soccer star’s murder.
They will be back in court on 14 November.
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