Prosecutors in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial have rejected defence claims that they are repetitively questioning accused number two, Bongani Ntanzi, to exhaust him. The argument arose during Ntanzi's cross-examination at the Pretoria High Court. Ntanzi and four co-accused face charges over the 2014 killing of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa.
Bongani Ntanzi, accused number two in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has been under cross-examination since February at the High Court in Pretoria. He stands trial alongside four others for the 2014 murder of the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper.
On Wednesday, Ntanzi's defence counsel, Sipho Ramosepele, objected to the state's questioning. Ramosepele argued that repeated queries, such as Ntanzi's whereabouts on 26 October 2014, aimed to wear down the accused. "This process now is meant to tire Mr Ntanzi," Ramosepele told the court, referencing prior answers given in a boardroom setting.
State prosecutor George Baloyi countered that the team was simply putting Ntanzi's own version back to him via his counsel. "We’re quoting the version of the accused through his counsel. There’s nothing badgering about that," Baloyi said, according to SABC News.
Ntanzi himself noted to the judge that he had answered these questions before. "This version or questions, I have already answered to, it’s not the first time," he said. The cross-examination is set to resume on Thursday morning.
