It had been confirmed that the case of Senzo Meyiwa will start again because a new judge, Mokgoatlheng, has been appointed to take over the case, which now means he will preside over the case the way he loves his job. People are not the same, even though they may be doing the same job, and when it comes to leadership styles, they will be different.
It had given both parties the opportunity to present their case from a different angle, and what was said in court may not be part of the trial as it will continue. It has been almost a year’s worth of testimony from five witnesses, which is now null and void. Even though you were on the stand before, you may find yourself back on it.
Surely they are preparing themselves for when they will restart the trial, and it is not clear as yet if new fasces will be part of the trial. A lot of people have been waiting for the day when Kelly Khumalo will take the stand, and she has defended herself from media interviews that may not be considered part of the court proceedings. It could have been a bad move because the responses may not have been monitored with a lawyer, and it would have been a better decision not to say anything. You are never sure what will happen, and anything can lead to an ending that you were not expecting. You may think you are doing a great job, but you have exposed yourself.
“Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has confirmed that the high-profile murder trial of Senzo Meyiwa will start from scratch, with new testimony to be read into record. This means that almost a year’s worth of testimony from five witnesses is now null and void. Mokgoatlheng made the announcement when proceedings resumed at the Pretoria High Court on Monday.
Judge Mokgoatlheng said that the accused would now have the chance to re-apply for bail before a different court. That is why you have to re-plead because a criminal case can only start once an indictment has been given to you. Before you plead, the case has not begun. Two outstanding matters must also still be dealt with, including the pre-trial hearing. The five men accused of the murder of Bafana-Bafana star Senzo Meyiwa will plead again as the new trial gets underway. It’s understood the accused were again served with the indictment at the weekend, with minor amendments made to the charge sheet.”