Senzo Meyiwa’s fans slam delays in footballer’s murder trial

Fans of late football star, Senzo Meyiwa, say further setbacks in the footballer’s murder trial come as no surprise, given the poor track record of the country’s criminal justice system.

They were reacting to the appointment of a new judge in the matter, with the murder trial set to resume from scratch later this month.

Judge Ratha Mokgoathleng will now preside over the trial after Judge Tshifiwa Maumela was suspended last week.

Maumela and another Gauteng judge, Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi, are accused of misconduct for failing to deliver several reserved judgments.

Almost nine years since Meyiwa’s murder, young fans say delays in finding his killers have done a disservice to his legacy.

Meyiwa was gunned down at his girlfriend singer Kelly Khumalo’s home in October 2014.

Legal expert, Elton Hart, has weighed in on the matter.

He says starting the case from scratch may be a more viable option for the new judge given that the case is already five witnesses in.

Meanwhile, Kelly Khumalo’s former legal representative, Advocate Magdalene Moonsamy, says with over 100 state witnesses expected to testify in the trial, it’s evident the matter is far from conclusion.

Moonsamy has also clarified that she no longer represents Khumalo in the matter, citing a breakdown in communication as the reason for this

The Meyiwa case is scheduled back in court on the 17th of July.