The murder trial of Senzo Meyiwa took an amazing turn on Monday when it was revealed that the original handwritten statement referred to in the trial does not exist.

Constable Sizwe Skhumbuzo Zungu, the key witness in question, faced intense scrutiny over his prior notes regarding the case.

On Friday, the court granted Zungu a brief recess to retrieve his notes from KwaZulu-Natal.

However, the State revealed on Monday that no handwritten statement by Zungu existed. Only notes -- which were subsequently shredded -- were ever available.

In a dramatic courtroom exchange, State Prosecutor George Baloyi said: "The notes were destroyed after the statement was made. Thus, they're not available."

Zungu, supporting this claim, mentioned that his search in KZN only turned up a corrected statement.

This absence became a critical issue.

Defence advocate Charles Mnisi argued for the original statement's disclosure, believing discrepancies between the original and typed versions could affect the case.

"We are not requesting notes," Mnisi emphasised, "We based our request on Zungu's testimony about the statement."

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng remarked that withholding such a statement could have grave consequences for the prosecutor.

Mokgoatlheng offered a final clarification on the contentious issue.

"Mr Zungu, a police officer, stated today that the only statement he made was on 31 May [2014]," he said.

"This court finds that no written statement exists."

The trial continues.