Senzo Meyiwa Trial: Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng Fumes As Defence Lawyer Prioritises Comrades Over Court

• Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng is furious with defence advocate Charles Mnisi following his request for leave of absence
• Mnisi said he would be running the Comrades Marathon on 8 June and would be unable to be at court the following day
• The ongoing trial into the murder of the former Bafana Bafana captain has experienced numerous delays

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial continues to make headlines, but not for the reasons many want.

As South Africans cry out for justice for the slain football star, the trial has been halted by delays and drama.

The latest event has left Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng furious, as the presiding officer took issue with a defence advocate’s request.

Charles Mnisi unable to attend court because of Comrades

In an email to the court’s registrar, defence advocate Charles Mnisi requested leave of absence on 9 June 2025. Mnisi represents two of the men accused in the trial.

In his email, Mnisi explained that he would be running the Comrades Marathon on 8 June and travelling back on 9 June.

“I know this may affect the proceedings in the above-mentioned matter, but may I apologise in advance for the inconvenience to be occasioned by this request,” he said in his email.

Judge Mokgoatlheng furious with Mnisi

Mokgoatlheng, who has often butted heads with Mnisi during the trial, was furious with the request.

He also took offence that Mnisi opted to send an email to the registrar and not address him in court personally.

Mokgoatlheng even questioned the other lawyers whether they thought it was appropriate, but they also stated that the correct protocol was to email the registrar, which is what Mnisi did.

Mokgoatlheng continued that he would be in court on Monday, whether Mnisi was there or not.

“The Judge President (JP) expects me to be in court. I can't tell the JP somebody's going to run the marathon. So, the case should stop. Everybody should watch the marathon, I suppose,” he vented.

You can watch the moment below.

What you need to know about the Senzo Meyiwa trial

• One of the men accused of killing former Orlando Pirates star Meyiwa admitted that he was in contact with Kelly Khumalo.
• A defence lawyer said that two of the accused's confessions of murder were made under duress.
• Kelly Khumalo was linked with the murder of Meyiwa once more, leaving many to ask why she wasn't arrested.
• Tensions were rising between Judge Mokgoatlheng and Advocate Mnisi during proceedings in the murder trial.
• The matter was hit by a further postponement as a defence lawyer wasn't ready to proceed after a two-month delay.
• Defence lawyer Thulani Mngomezulu passed away after a short illness, throwing the trial into disarray.

Judge mentions Nelson Mandela’s name in court

Judge Mokgoatlheng is no stranger to making strange and sometimes controversial comments in court.

Briefly News reported that the judge confused many with his mention of Nelson Mandela’s name during proceedings.

The judge stated that the defence lawyer would still be preparing his argument by the time Madiba resurrected.

Source: Briefly News