The prosecution in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has informed the court that it cannot locate crucial vehicle tracking records related to the arrest of accused number one, Muzi Sibiya, in May 2020. The admission came after defence lawyer Charles Mnisi argued that the data is vital to Sibiya’s case.
State prosecutor George Baloyi submitted an affidavit from the Ekurhuleni Metro Police, stating that authorities had been unable to retrieve the Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) logs for the police vehicles used during Sibiya’s arrest. According to the affidavit, the vehicles were assigned to the SWAT team at the time, but no tracking records exist for the period in question.
“The Metro Police official confirmed conducting a thorough search of the city’s fleet tracking system but found no data,” Baloyi told the court. “The current tracking system was only implemented after 2020.”
The missing data has raised questions about the circumstances of Sibiya’s arrest, which the defence claims could support allegations of police coercion. The development marks another hurdle in the long-running trial, which has been plagued by delays and evidentiary disputes.
The case continues.