Accused Murderer’s Bank Statements Fail to Support Alibi in Senzo Meyiwa Case

National News/ 12 October 2023,09:03am / Staff Writer

Slain Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa: image supplied

Staff Writer: Bongani Ntanzi, one of the five men accused in the murder of former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa, experienced a setback in his defense at the Gauteng High Court when his bank statements failed to corroborate his alibi.

The football star was killed nine years ago while visiting his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, at her mother’s residence in Vosloorus. The case, which has held the public’s attention for nearly a decade, saw Ntanzi identified as one of the intruders who entered the house on the night of Meyiwa’s murder.

Upon his initial arrest, Ntanzi claimed he was at work at the Sibanye gold mine on the West Rand at the time of the incident. However, an HR manager from the mine testified that Ntanzi did not report for duty on the evening of 26 October 2014, and had taken unpaid leave from 27 October, which his supervisor approved.

Ntanzi’s attorney, Sipho Ramosepele, argued that his client did not clock in because he didn’t work on Sundays, and he was on leave, having travelled home to Nongoma in KZN.

In a surprising turn of events on Wednesday, State prosecutor advocate George Baloyi sought to present Ntanzi’s bank statements as evidence, which seemed to contradict his alibi.

According to Ramosepele, Ntanzi’s bank statements were supposed to show certain transactions that would prove his presence in Nongoma when the football star was killed. However, the bank statements from Capitec revealed no activity from 25 October 2014 to 28 October 2014, neither transactions made nor money received.

Ramosepele objected to the inclusion of these statements in the court record, arguing that because the alleged transactions were not reflected, they could not accept the document until the information has been further investigated and corroborated.

Ntanzi, according to his attorney, had performed a certain ceremony and obtained a loan from the bank for this purpose. The loan should have been reflected in the bank statements, Ramosepele insisted.

Despite these objections, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng ruled that the statements could be admitted as an exhibit. He clarified that this did not prevent Ntanzi from challenging the statements with his own evidence.

The trial is set to continue on Friday, with the admissibility of confession statements allegedly made by two of the accused to be challenged in a trial within a trial.