Advocate Charles Mnisi crosses finish line at Comrades marathon

Defence lawyer in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial advocate Charles Mnisi has crossed the finish line, completing the Comrades Marathon.

According to the marathon tracker, Mnisi finished at about 4.27pm and his average pace was 07:09 min/km. The tracker indicates that he started his marathon at about 5.45am.

Mnisi came under fire last week when judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng, who is presiding over the murder trial, was furious when he asked to be excused from court to accommodate his plan to run the marathon.

In an e-mail sent to the court's registrar, Mnisi asked for a message to be relayed to the judge about his planned absence. He represents two accused in the trial, which is scheduled to be in session on Monday.

Mokgoatlheng, who has previously voiced his frustration at the delays in the case, expressed his displeasure that Mnisi intended to skip a court day and that he didn't write to him directly.

He cited examples of other court officials, including judges, who manage to run marathons without allowing their personal commitments to interfere with court proceedings.

“I must go and tell the judge president, when the JP asks me, why were you not sitting, or the deputy judge president, why were you not sitting on Monday? No, I'm waiting for advocate Mnisi to drive back to Joburg, to wherever, because he was running a marathon. This is South Africa, run by blacks. I can tell you now, even if you call me Uncle Tom, I don't think a white advocate can have the gall to ask me that. Never,” he said.

The matter is expected to resume on Monday.

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