By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Singer Kelly Khumalo received calls from one of the five men accused of killing former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa before he was killed.
Sfisokuhle Ntuli is accused number five in the high-profile murder trial and is represented by Advocate Zandile Mshololo.
Five men are on trial for the murder of the soccer star, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Ntuli.They face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition.
Lambertus Steyn, who has 41 years of experience in the South African Police Services’ Cold Case Unit, was roped into the case to analyse the cell phone data of the people who were present when Meyiwa was shot and killed in 2014.
Steyn kicked off his testimony by explaining how they download data from cellphones and also outlined the software they use to download data on cellphones.
During his analysis, he identified numbers which belonged to Khumalo, which he can prove through links with family, friends, an Xds (xpert decision system), a central data base reference, the police crime administration system, the E-Natis system, and True Caller software.
However, he could not download Khumalo’s data because her phone had allegedly been stolen by one of the two intruders.
Steyn told the court on Thursday that Meyiwa’s then-girlfriend received a phone call from Ntuli on 2 August 2014.
The second phone came a week before Meyiwa’s passing on 15 October 2014.
According to Steyn, the first call lasted almost two minutes, and the second was just more than a minute.
“And you say that the second party is?” questioned state prosecutor Adv George Baloyi.
“The other party is suspect number five. She received the call while she was in the 3G Kimberely vicinity.”
Ntuli is a well-known hitman linked to six murders in KwaZulu-Natal and was sentenced to six life terms and 39 years in January 2022.
Baloyi this week told the court Khumalo was not on its witness list. One of the defence lawyers, advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, told the court he intended to call Khumalo to testify.
The state will continue leading Steyn in his evidence on Friday, while the defence is expected to cross-examine him.
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Video Courtesy of ENCA.