Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng Remarks on Nelson Mandela’s Resurrection in Senzo Meyiwa Trial, SA Confused

• Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has confused many with his mention of Nelson Mandela's name during court proceedings
• The judge in the Senzo Meyiwa trial stated that the defence lawyer would still be preparing his argument by the time Madiba resurrected
• South Africans questioned why he chose to mention Madiba and his general conduct in the ongoing murder trial

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 has resumed in the Pretoria High Court, but South Africans have little faith that there will be justice.

South Africans are also particularly confused by the conduct of Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng, who is presiding over the case.

Mokgoatlheng had social media buzzing when he decided to mention Nelson Mandela’s name in court. The judge mentioned the former State president while responding to Advocate Charles Mnisi.

Judge annoyed by Mnisi’s line of questioning

When proceedings resumed after a lengthy postponement on Monday, 19 May 2025, Mnisi continued with the cross-examination of Brigadier Bongani Gininda. Gininda is the lead investigator in the trial and the State’s last witness.

Mnisi questioned Gininda about his practices when obtaining a statement from the accused, as well as warning statements that Gininda claimed to receive from various stations across the country.

Before the investigator could answer the question about statements, the judge intervened, asking what the point was with the line of questioning.

“How is this going to help us in this case? How does interrogating warning statements made in a specific location help us?” he asked.”

When Mnisi responded that he wanted to know about the statements because he was busy preparing his argument, Mokgoatlheng responded by mentioning Madiba.

“You can prepare your argument; there is no problem; otherwise, we will remain here until the resurrection of Nelson Mandela,” he said.

What you need to know about the 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.

South Africans confused by Mokgoatlheng’s Mandela comments

Social media users were not sure what to make of Mokgoatlheng’s comments, with some saying it wasn’t the first time he mentioned Mandela’s name. Others noted his behaviour in general.

Thozama Mzileni said:

“Stop calling Nelson Mandela's name unnecessarily. Who said that Mandela would resurrect in the future?”

Steve Mashola added:

“The problem here is Advocate George Baloyi, and now it seems that he received something from whoever Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng is receiving from. This judge is no longer neutral but rude and arrogant to the defence. Obviously, the two, Baloyi and Mokgoatlheng, know who killed Senzo, but brown envelopes are making them arrogant.”

@SiboneloNdlovu_ said:

“Ratha is a judge, a prosecutor and a witness.”

@cele_zandy noted:

“In Judge Ratha's words, we will wait until Mandela's resurrection."

Who is Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng?

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng is a South African legal practitioner and High Court judge. He began his judicial career as an acting judge for three years before receiving his official appointment on 30 May 2007. In 2023, he was appointed to preside over the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, taking over from Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, who was suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mokgoatlheng studied law at the University of Fort Hare after completing matric. His decision to pursue a legal career was influenced by his father.

SA loses faith after latest Meyiwa postponement

Briefly News reported on 5 May 2025 that South Africans were losing faith that justice would be served in the Meyiwa murder trial.

That was after the trial into the murder of the Bafana Bafana star was postponed for a further two weeks.

The postponement was granted to allow one defence lawyer to prepare for the trial following the death of another lawyer.

Source: Briefly News