During the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa murder trial in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, the state has made a strong case for the inclusion of vehicle tracking evidence.

This evidence about the movements of a police vehicle transporting accused Bongani Ntanzi, is key to addressing the serious assault allegations made by Ntanzi.

Prosecutor Advocate George Baloyi emphasised that the automatic vehicle location (AVL) report is a crucial piece of evidence.

It is expected to shed light on the route and stops made by the police escort, which Ntanzi claims included detours to locations where he was allegedly assaulted and forced into confessing his role in Meyiwa's murder.

Baloyi argued that this AVL report acts as a "silent witness", offering an unbiased account of the vehicle's movements.

The prosecution claims that Sergeant Vusimuzi Mogane, the driver of the vehicle, can authenticate the AVL report, removing the need for testimony from the car tracking company.

They argue that this will not cause prejudice to the defence, as they will have the opportunity to cross-examine Mogane.

Ntanzi's defence attorney, Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, challenged the admissibility of the AVL report. He argued that Mogane is not an impartial expert on this matter, given his involvement in the investigation.

Mngomezulu argued that the state's introduction of this new evidence at this stage is irregular and could unfairly prejudice his client.

The defence insists on the need for an independent expert to testify about the AVL report, stressing the need for an unbiased opinion in interpreting this technical evidence.

The trial continues.