Legal Aid South Africa says it has incurred costs of about R6.5m in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial to date.
Legal Aid spokesperson Pateka Quwe said the costs covered legal representation, expert fees, subsistence and other related expenses. She said the costs were incurred over three financial years.
In the 2023/24 financial year, Legal Aid South Africa paid R2.3m, in 2024/25 R3.8m and in 2025/26 R390,000, totalling close to R6.5m.
Five suspects in the matter were arrested in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal on October 26 2020, and made their first appearance in the Boksburg magistrate's court the next day. The trial began in the Pretoria high court on April 11 2022 after several delays.
The trial began anew in July 2023 after judge Tshifhiwa Maumela fell ill and was later suspended in June 2023 for misconduct for not delivering judgments within a reasonable period.
New judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng took over the trial, and it was decided that Legal Aid would take over the responsibility of paying for the defence of the five accused.
Quwe acknowledged that the murder trial was lengthy and involved multiple accused individuals and legal representatives.
She said all five accused applied for legal aid assistance at various stages after the trial began anew, and four judicare legal practitioners represent all five — one judicare represents two accused, while the other three represent one accused each.
“Our mandate, which is derived from the constitution, is to provide legal representation, legal advice and legal education to those who cannot afford a legal representative of their own choice. About 87% of our work involves representing accused people in criminal matters, while the remaining cases consist of clients seeking assistance in civil matters. 97.6% of our services are delivered by salaried legal practitioners who are full-time employees of the organisation,” she said.
Quwe said only about 1.3% of cases are outsourced to private legal practitioners through the Judicare programme, with the rest handled through agency agreements and cooperation partners.
Even where Legal Aid is involved, it is critical to note that such funds are drawn from a finite public resource pool
— Abigail Ngobene, legal expert
“An agency agreement is established with selected private practitioners to cover all legal aid matters at specified courts, primarily in remote areas where it is uneconomical for Legal Aid South Africa lawyers to travel due to long distances. All legal practitioners participating in the judicare programme must be accredited with Legal Aid South Africa and meet strict criteria to be eligible for client representation,” she said.
Annelize Dixon, a cost consultant at VZLR Attorneys who had estimated the cost of the trial without any access to the court docket or information of the trial, said considering that the trial has been ongoing for years, legal fees could have escalated over time.
She said the longer the trial takes to get finalised, the more hours an advocate can charge for preparation and consultation and the more court days may be booked.
It could also mean that the defence team could prolong the matter as the longer the case ran, the more money they could make.
Legal expert Abigail Ngobene said the legal representatives of the accused in the Meyiwa trial were experienced advocates with extensive background in criminal litigation. Given their seniority, it was reasonable to estimate their rates ranged between R1,800 and R2,500 per hour, unless a prescribed tariff (such as Legal Aid rates) was being applied.
“Even where Legal Aid is involved, it is critical to note that such funds are drawn from a finite public resource pool,” she said.
She believes that further delay in the matter would not only undermine judicial economy but would have substantial financial implications — particularly for the accused, whose defence has already been funded over several years.
The murder trial continues in the Pretoria high court, and the state has yet to conclude its case.
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