By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Emotions ran high in the Pretoria high court yesterday as state witness Zandile Khumalo continued with her testimony in the murder trial of football star Senzo Meyiwa.
Defence lawyer, Zandile Mshololo, cross-examined Khumalo about a second docket that had been opened.
“Were you aware of this letter or the existence of the second docket?” Mshololo asked Khumalo, who responded by saying no.
After the state objected by stating that the information was not relevant, Mshololo continued to state why the docket had been opened.
“This docket was opened because of the evidence which shows that you, as well as those who were in the house, are suspects in this case. A decision has not been finalised and it will depend on the findings of this trial,” she said.
Mshololo represent accused number 5, Fisokuhle Ntuli.
Ntuli has been charged alongside Bongani Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Ncube and Mthokoziseni Maphisa.
This morning, Mshololo asked that the TV interview in 2022 with news channel eNCA about Meyiwa’s wife Mandisa Mkhize be played in court. Khumalo hardly watched it and bowed her head.
In the interview, Khumalo criticised the police for failing to scrutinise Mkhize.
Mshololo asked her to explain what she meant by that.
“It’s common knowledge that when a man dies, the wife or girlfriend becomes a suspect. No one has ever looked at Mandisa. She was never investigated. The police never took her phone. All I was saying was why has Mandisa not faced the same amount of interrogation we were subjected to?” Khumalo asked.
During the interview, Khumalo said police were just fishing at one point and looking in all directions for answers.
Mshololo asked why Kelly Khumalo should not be interrogated, as the text messages read in court showed that the singer was not happy in her relationship with Meyiwa and wanted to end it.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng then asked the prosecutor, Advocate George Baloyi, about the state of the video.
Baloyi told the court that the video was part of the exhibits for the trial and that it formed part of the documentary evidence.
He also said the interview violated the sub judice rule, as it was conducted while court proceedings were ongoing.
Khumalo has since concluded her testimony at the Pretoria high court earlier.
The State has named its next witness to take the stand as the rebooted Meyiwa murder trial gains some momentum.
Khaya Ngcatshe is set to begin testifying on Tuesday.
Khumalo had previously told the court that two intruders were behind the shooting, denying claims that Meyiwa’s killer was among his circle of friends.
But Judge Mokgoatlheng scrutinised Khumalo’s testimony.
“What also deludes me, is the neighbours. Didn’t they see anybody running along the street either up or down?” he asked.
In response, Khumalo said: “What I know is that there were neighbours who gave their statements, but I can’t say for sure what was contained in their statements.”
“Because it’s amazing that in the location, a person just vanishes. No man. Not even one person said, ‘I saw one person jumping the fence yabo-Khaya’. No one saw anything?” Mokgoatlheng added.
Ngcatshe,is believed to be one of the neighbours that carried Meyiwa’s limp body after he was shot at the Khumalo house in an alleged robbery in 2014.
State prosecutor Baloyi led his evidence.
Ngcatshe told the court that Meyiwa was wearing a white T-shirt on the day he was killed.
“When we got to the house and door, that is when we noticed the late Meyiwa was lying down on the passage close to the kitchen. When I first entered, I saw his white T-shirt. Then we saw that it was Senzo who lay down,” said Ngcatshe.
“How was he lying down?” questioned Baloyi.
“He was lying facing upwards. So we (neighbours) tried to make him sit up. From there, we tried taking him to the car as he was heavy, “continued Ngcatshe.
Earlier in her testimony, Khumalo told the court that she ran and hid in the bathroom after three shots were fired in the kitchen.
Khumalo said that she peeped through the bathroom door shortly after the ordeal, where she saw Senzo walk towards the dining room with his hands on his chest.
Khumalo added that Senzo crouched forward between the TV stand and couch, where she was followed by his then-girlfriend Kelly.
Ngcatshe’s cross-examination is expected to continue on Wednesday.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of ENCA.