By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The lead investigator in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial Brigadier Bongani Gininda has been under the cross examination at the Pretoria High Court.
Meyiwa was shot and killed at the house of the mother of his then girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus, on the East Rand, on October 26, 2014.
The people who were present in the house during the murder were Kelly, her sister Zandile, their mother Gladness, Meyiwa, Zandile’s then boyfriend Longwe Twala, and Meyiwa’s close friends Tumelo Madlala and Mthokozisi Twala.
During the proceedings, Gininda, said there is sufficient evidence that places accused number three Mthobisi Mncube, at a hostel not far from the scene of the crime the day Meyiwa was murdered.
Gininda has been responding to questions by defence counsel Charles Mnisi.
“It was also confirmed, my Lord, during the investigation, that during the afternoon – although I will not be certain about the timeline – but in the afternoon of the date of the incident accused three was indeed in the Vosloorus area which is the jurisdiction area of where this incident occurred, forensic evidence in terms of location that afternoon (confirms) he was in Vosloorus.”
“The phone location correlated by witnesses that we uncovered during the course of the incident places him at the Basotho hostel in the afternoon,” said Gininda.
Referring to Gininda’s statement, Mnisi said the brigadier stated that the pictures matched the description of the gun-totting intruder.
He asked that Gininda take the court to the pictures that he was referring to.
Gininda responded: “It’s important to place on record that this is a statement that was filed for the warrant of arrests for all the accused, and it was a summary of the investigation that we had done at the time.”
He further said the investigation led them to believe that accused number three was the gun-wielding intruder.
Advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, representing accused four in the case, is scheduled to begin his cross-examination on Tuesday.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli are standing trial for the murder of the late football star.
They have all pleaded not guilty to all charges.
They face charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicenced firearm, and possession of ammunition.