By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
In what is turning out to be another day of bombshell revelations in the sensational Senzo Meyiwa trial, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard on Monday, that SAPS expert doesn’t believe Longwe Twala shot and killed Senzo Meyiwa.
Meyiwa was gunned down at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus home in a suspected robbery, on October 26, 2014.
The people who were in the house on the day Meyiwa was murdered, were Khumalo and her younger sister, Zandile, their mother Ntombi Khumalo (MaKhumalo), Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends, Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, Kelly’s then four-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya (1), Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi (2), Mthobisi Prince Mncube (3), Mthokoziseni Maphisa (4) and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli (5) are standing trial for premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition.
They face charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.
SA Police Services (SAPS) data analyst Lambertus Steyn, with more than 40 years of experience in the South African Police Service, is also a cell phone data analyst serving in the SAPS’ Cold Case Unit.
Steyn said accused number five, Ntuli, had made cellphone contact with Meyiwa’s girlfriend at the time, Kelly Khumalo twice before the fatal shooting.
Ntuli had contacted Khumalo twice, in August 2014, and in October 2014, about a fortnight before the goalkeeper was murdered.
Steyn was under cross-examination by advocate Sipho Ramosepele, for accused number one and two.
Ramosepele told the court that his client, Sibiya denied using the number that was mentioned in court.
He also argued that Ntanzi said the number which is said to be his, he only acquired in 2019 and never had it in 2014.
Steyn said it could have been RICA’d using family details.
However, Ramosepele argued that Ntanzi was adamant that the SIM card was RICA’d under his name, as he it bought the phone at Dunns or Markham using his ID.
Ramosepele further asked if the other witnesses in the house – Khumalo’s mother, MaKhumalo, Twala and his friends Madlala, Thwala – ever called the police or ambulance on the night of the incident.
“I did check. I couldn’t find any number of the police on any of the phones, even 10 111,” Steyn replied.
Steyn also told the court on Monday that Twala, who was a friend to the late soccer start and one of the people present at the house when Meyiwa was shot and killed, sent an SMS saying, ‘Senzo is dead and they just shot him in front of us’.
“It’s my personal opinion because of the way he put the sentence. ‘He was shot in front of me’. That is my opinion, “said Steyn.
Steyn added that if Longwe was not in the house, as previous state witness Khumalo testified, he was in the area when Meyiwa was shot and killed.
“It was put to the witness by Khumalo that when Senzo was shot, Longwe was not around,” questioned defence advocate Zithulele Nxumalo.
“I can’t comment on that one. I can only give my opinion of what I read in my SMS,” Steyn responded.
“He knows something. Let me put it that way because he could’ve informed someone that Senzo was shot in front of us.”
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