By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The legal counsels of the five men on trial for the 2014 murder of Senzo Meyiwa have accused the soccer player’s childhood friend of tailoring his evidence after watching the trial proceedings on TV.
Advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, on behalf of the fourth accused Mthokoziseni Maphisa, wasted no time pointing out how different Mthokozisi Thwala’s version of events was in comparison to the evidence collected by the police, other occupants inside the house and neighbours statements on what exactly happened the fateful night Meyiwa was killed.
Nxumalo began and finished his cross-examination yesterday after advocate Charles Mnisi concluded his cross-examination on behalf of Mthobisi Prince Mncube, the third accused, shortly before the lunch adjournment.
Advocate Zandile Mshololo, representing accused number four – Mthokoziseni Maphisa, appears to have successfully poked several holes in Thwala’s testimony because he struggled to recall specific details.
He had initially testified that two intruders suddenly entered the Khumalo family home via the kitchen. One of them, who had dreadlocks, had demanded cellphones and money in isiZulu and Sesotho.
However, under cross-exam, he said the intruders used the English words for “firearms” and “money”.
Thwala also battled to recall what the gun looked like, further stating he couldn’t tell the difference between a toy gun and a real firearm.
Mshololo then introduced an affidavit from Meyiwa’s brother-in-law, Mlungisi Edward Hlophe.
Hlophe’s affidavit stated that he had called Tumelo Madlala on the night in question because he wanted to get the truth about what happened.
Madlala had told him over the phone that Zandi and her boyfriend, Longwe Twala (son of musician Chicco Twala), were having a fight and that Meyiwa tried to intervene.
However, Thwala refuted these claims saying there was never a fight and that Hlophe had only filed his affidavit in 2019, five years after his brother was shot.
Mshololo also interrogated how the occupants of the house handled Meyiwa’s gunshot wound after the attackers fled.
Thwala testified that he managed to flee the home with his cellphone while the attack was still underway.
Even though Thwala managed to flee the property by jumping over the concrete wall, he said he did not log a distress call to police once he was safely out because his battery was dead. But he also didn’t approach any neighbours to call for help.
He then decided to head back to the house, where Khumalo’s mother informed him the intruders had left.
Thwala found Meyiwa bleeding on the floor and covered the wound with a towel, at which point the neighbours advised them to call the ambulance.
When they saw that Meyiwa was still alive, someone suggested they drive him to the hospital. But a statement that forms part of the docket revealed that physicians declared the soccer star dead on arrival.
Mshololo put it to Thwala that Meyiwa died because they had delayed getting him medical attention. Thwala said could not comment on the timing of everything that happened after the shooting.
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Video Courtesy of SABC.