Pretoria – The cross-examination of police Sergeant Thabo Johannes Mosia has resumed in the High Court in Pretoria, following a dramatic day on Monday characterised by a spirited bid by the defence and prosecution to have Netflix’s production company booted out of the courtroom.
The charge, led by advocate Malesela Daniel Teffo, who represents four of the five men who are accused of the 2014 Senzo Meyiwa murder, received support in court from lead prosecutor, advocate George Baloyi, who also asked Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela to remove Ten10 Films which produced the hit Netflix docu-series, Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star that was flighted days before the trial started.
The production company has produced the five-part documentary series regarding the murder of Meyiwa, which was screened on Netflix. In the series, questions are posed regarding who had killed the ace soccer player, who is the mastermind, and whether there is a cover-up as to who the real killer is.
Several witnesses were also interviewed, which formed part of the series, and viewers were also invited to add their voices as to what they thought happened. The last episode in the series was screened in April, shortly after the trial started.
Teffo argued this endangered witnesses in this high-profile trial, and people were asked to make judgments even before the trial had reached a conclusion. The court was told this was also prejudicial towards the accused.
Much of the arguments were also around the question of whether the production crew formed part of the media or not. Teffo said that they were definitely not media and that they had gained entry to the proceedings through the back door.
After taking a break, Maumela said he did not have sufficient information before him, which warranted the removal of the filming crew from the court premises.
The judge said he did not know whether the production company qualified as part of the mainstream media, but there was no reason at this stage to bar them from the proceedings.
On Monday, no mention was made of the drama a month ago when Teffo was arrested in court for allegedly contravening a contempt of court order in an unrelated matter.
IOL