South African musician Zandi Khumalo, who was present when Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed in October 2014, has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Khumalo, a witness in the pending case, posted an open letter to President Ramaphosa on her Instagram page, following the dismissal of Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela.
Last week, Ramaphosa suspended Maumela from the Senzo Meyiwa trial because he (the judge) was not delivering judgments within a reasonable period.
Khumalo then requested Ramaphosa to prioritise the case.
“I would like to request a serious prioritisation of the Senzo Meyiwa case moving forward. My biggest wish would be to try and put a bit of pace to the proceedings of this case.
“I would like, for the sake of the families who haven’t found closure after so long to request that one court is earmarked specifically for this case, a specific law team is also appointed to deal with nothing else but this case and that this case is in court from Monday to Friday up until it is concluded and a verdict has been given,” read the statement.
She concluded that while her letter may not be a traditional way of doing things, the President must consider her request(s) because the case has been going on for too long.
And if you look at it, 8+ years is a long time, especially considering the number of people who were in the house when the incident happened.
While people on Twitter agreed with Khumalo that the case needs to be prioritised, others say she’s seeking attention.
“Attention seeking syndrome. What does the president have anything to do with the running of courts? She should have written to Mlambo JP or Ledwaba DJP, at worse, Zondo CJ. A judge has already been assigned. She must relax,” commented @thee_adv.
However, it seems like the trial is still going to take time because it is likely to start from scratch. Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has a lot of work to do in familiarising himself with the case before the formal proceedings.
It is reported that the trial will resume on July 17.
Read the full letter below:
