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Meyiwa Trial: Defence Witness ‘Gwabini’ Zungu Rejects Key Testimony and Alleges Police Assault

Prosecutors are challenging the relevance of his account as the court weighs whether to admit new defence evidence that contradicts a central state witness.

Overview

  • Testifying in Pretoria, Sifiso ‘Gwabini’ Zungu denied hosting the five accused at his Vosloorus hostel on 26 October 2014 and repeatedly said Constable Sizwe Zungu’s account was false.
  • He rejected claims that firearms were handled in his room, disputing prior testimony that a 9mm pistol and a .38 revolver were present that day.
  • Zungu alleged that police arrested and assaulted him in 2020, describing suffocation, beatings at a cemetery, and an attempt to plant a firearm under his mattress.
  • He confirmed familial and community ties to several accused and to Constable Zungu, saying the constable’s father was his grandfather.
  • State prosecutor George Baloyi objected that the testimony is new and irrelevant, while defence counsel Charles Mnisi argued the witness had been identified earlier and that the state can reopen its case if needed.