'I was just merely excising my rights' — Zandie Khumalo on the Senzo Meyiwa trial blackout request

Zandie Gumede (née Khumalo) spoken about why she wanted a complete media blackout of her testimony in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. 

In a sit-down interview with eNCA, Zandie said she was baffled by how people reacted to her decision to take such steps. 

“This is a democratic country, I was just merely exercising my rights and I feel that, that is why even the court took about two days for the plea. They found that it was actually within my rights to exercise that and I don't know why now is it a hoo-ha that I exercise my rights since this is a democratic country.” 

She said people are entitled to their own opinions about the case but she is focusing on testifying. 

“My family and I, there's no platform we haven't been to, trying to explain exactly what happened. But it seems they choose what to listen to and they make their own decisions. So I was like, I don't owe anybody anything right now because they've had their chance and now the only people that I need to testify to is just the court. Whether there is a camera there or not, I'm just there to testify. That's all.”

Watch the video below:

In May, the Pretoria high court heard arguments on the application. 

“Live broadcast of the image of the witness will not be permitted. Members of electronic media are permitted to live broadcast the testimony of the witness ... by means of audio. The prohibition of images of [the] witness ... while she testifies shall remain in place until the finalisation of this trial,” judge Tshifhiwa Maumela ruled.

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