Senzo Meyiwa Trial: New Cellphone Data Sparks Fresh Courtroom Battle
A dramatic battle over cellphone data has erupted in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, with the State telling the court that the movement of a cellphone allegedly belonging to Mabungu Ntuli paints a “completely different picture” from the version presented by Accused No. 3.
The dramatic development unfolded on Thursday, 20 August 2026, as prosecutors fought to be allowed to cross-examine Accused No. 3 using cellphone movement data linked to Ntuli.
The State says the information is crucial because Accused No. 3’s version places Ntuli with him and others on 26 October 2014, the day Meyiwa was murdered.
According to that version, the group travelled together from Johannesburg and visited several locations before returning later that day. Ntuli was also allegedly responsible for taking some of the photographs being relied upon in relation to those movements.
But prosecutors now say the cellphone data tells a potentially different story.
“A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PICTURE”
In one of the most striking submissions of the morning, the State told the court:
“The cell phone data of Mr. Mabungu paints a completely different picture…”
Prosecutors said the information would be used to challenge the version of Accused No. 3.
The State went further, arguing that the movement of Ntuli’s device on 26 October 2014 is “crucial” to testing the claim that Ntuli and Accused No. 3 were together from morning until evening.
DATA ACCESSED THIS WEEK
In another significant revelation, prosecutors told the court that they decided on 17 August 2026 to verify Ntuli’s movements using cellphone tower information.
The State said it accessed the data from Vodacom on 17 August and now intends to use that information during cross-examination of Accused No. 3.
The move has triggered a legal battle over whether prosecutors should be permitted to use the information at this stage of the proceedings.
The defence has raised objections, while the State maintains that the cellphone evidence is relevant and should be permitted in cross-examination.
The court must now determine whether prosecutors can deploy the cellphone movement evidence as they attempt to test the version placed before court.
The accused have pleaded not guilty and remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
MDNtv continues to follow developments in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
