She is a witness in the Senzo Meyiwa trial. Singer and songwriter Zandie Khumalo-Gumede recently took to the stand in the Pretoria High Court to testify in the trial against the men implicated in the murder of her sister's boyfriend, footballer Senzo Meyiwa who was gunned down in what was described as a botched robber. This happened in the presence of his then-girlfriend Kelly, her mother Ntombi, Zandile, Zandile's boyfriend Longwe Twala, and Senzo's friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala.
A CHANGE OF JUDGE
The six men, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli were charged with attempted murder, premeditated murder, robbery, and aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. The sister of Kelly Khumalo has since written a letter to the president of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. This follows after the new judge was appointed to preside over the Senzo Meyiwa trial, taking over from Tshifhiwa Maumela who was suspended by the president.
Dear Mr. President (Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa) My name is Zandie Khumalo and I'm one of the witnesses in the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa trial I was also in the house on that tragic night of the incident, Mr. President I would like to first come clean to you, I am not a very avid "formal letter" writer as I am just a music writer who targets the heart and provokes thoughts and emotions and it is because of this reason that I ask you to bear with me as you are a person that deals with a lot of formal documents, Mr. President I have no Vincent Magwenya at my disposal so I have high hopes that I will be able to put my points across to you clearly and you are able to grasp them without any difficulties. In fact, if I was writing this on top of a music beat as normal things would have been much easier for me and I would be more confident and certain of my writing however we are here now so here goes………. Mr. President let me start by extending my appreciation to you for your prompt response to the JSC request to recuse the sitting judge on the Senzo Meyiwa case, I would, however, like to state that with my limited knowledge of the courts' modus operandi and its dependence or independence to politics, I am not certain if the decision to recuse the sitting judge was a good one or a bad one and I don't either condone or condemn it but it was rather comforting for me to learn that you Mr president has an eye and interest in this court case. Mr President a life was lost on that fateful night and it has been a long painful 8 years for families that were and are still very much affected by the incident, let me speak for my family at least…..My family (Khumalo family) has done everything in its power to assist the law officials solve this case and it has been deemed not sufficient by some but trust me Mr President it hasn't been by lack of trying and we will continue to avail ourselves and continue to assist where we can.
WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME
Zandie continues to say, "I would love to say we were at the wrong place at the wrong time Mr. President but we were not, we were at home having an amazing time with friends and family, we were at a place where we thought we were safe but it was clearly not safe enough for us and certainly not safe enough for Senzo. Mr president the reason I'm writing to you this letter is that I have a plea that I would like to make to you, I did mention my limited knowledge when it comes to court dynamics and boundaries and I also understand that there are timetables and time frames attached to each court and each case, nonetheless, I would like to request a serious prioritization 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 this case is in court from Monday to Friday up until it is concluded and a verdict has been given."
JUSTICE
Zandie says the eight-year trial has been taxing. "During my media blackout application that I made at the Pretoria high court, it was quite evident that the whole country has an interest in this case so putting measures in place to ensure that the case moves at a much faster pace wouldn't be a bad thing for everyone involved. I have been on that stand Mr. President and it is not a nice place to be but I would do it again with emotions running high for however many days if it means solving this case quicker, it is a traumatic experience to reliving that day in front of the whole country but what choice do I have, I…..like many South Africans would like to see justice for Senzo. Mr president I know this might not be the normal or traditional way of doing things but I do feel it will help greatly the people affected by this case, people have been bleeding for 8 years Mr President and prolonging and dragging this case even more won't help them in any way, insults have been hurled, accusations have been thrown and theories have been created so it is in the best interest of the country at large that the case is prioritized and fast-tracked. It has been 8 years Mr. President and no one can say they don't have enough evidence, all critical and required evidence has been collected and have been analysed so let the court run its course now uninterrupted and it is about time. Mr President, I think I speak for almost everyone when I say, the postponements, delays, and breaks have been more than enough and it is time we completely do away with them. I thank you for your time Mr. President. Regards, Zandi"
