By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The lawyer for four of the five men accused of murdering the former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa, has objected to the State’s second witness giving testimony.
This morning, the State called its second witness to the stand, Sergeant Patrick Mlungisi Mthethwa, who was the first police officer to respond to the crime scene.
Before Mthethwa started giving evidence, TT Thobane objected to Mthethwa testifying.
He alleged that Mthethwa had been sitting outside court and watching court proceedings on his cellphone, while the State’s first witness, Sergeant Thabo Mosia, was testifying.
Thobane said: Therefore, I raise concern regarding the testimony and the weight thereof.
However, the prosecutor, advocate George Baloyi, said Thobane could raise the issue during cross-examination.
The court subsequently allowed Mthethwa to give his testimony.
Mthethwa was testifying about responding to the crime scene and what unfolded after that.
He testified about how he was alerted to a shooting in progress and the events that unfolded thereafter.
The first police officer to arrive at the scene where Meyiwa was shot has given evidence about what happened that day.
Some of his testimony, however, contradicts that of the first witness, Sergeant Thabo Mosia.
Police were first alerted about the shooting of the former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper after they received a call of a shooting in progress at 20:53 on 26 October 2014.
In his evidence-in-chief, Mthethwa – who is stationed at the Vosloorus police station and works in the Crime Prevention Unit – said he was arresting someone with the help of his colleague, a Sergeant Mathebula, when they received a call about a shooting in progress.
The call came through the radio control centre at 20:53.
After being provided with the street address and house number, Mthethwa and his colleague made their way to the crime scene, which was the Vosloorus house where Meyiwa had been shot.
Mthethwa said they arrived at the address about eight to 10 minutes later. There, they were met by a man named Themba.
According to Mthethwa, Themba said he had also been called to the house by his sister, who he referred to as Ma’Khumalo, and that someone had been shot and rushed to hospital.
He later clarified Ma’Khumalo was Kelly Khumalo’s mother. Kelly was dating Meyiwa at the time of his murder.
“Because he [Themba] couldn’t give us information as to what happened in the house, we then decided to go to the hospital,” Mthethwa said.
However, before leaving for the hospital, he added Themba unlocked the kitchen door, and they quickly walked through the house.
Following the quick walkthrough, Mthethwa said he could not tell if the shooting happened inside or outside the house.
He also testified that as he and Mathebula were about to leave, a neighbour alerted them to two men she saw running from the house towards a nearby park.
The police officers did not pursue this information and instead went to the hospital.
At the hospital, they met a lady in a BMW who told them Meyiwa had been shot.
A nurse then took them to a room where they found Meyiwa’s body, Mthethwa told the court.
He added Meyiwa was dead and had a bullet wound to the chest. After viewing the body, they also met a woman who introduced herself as Ma’Khumalo.
Ma’Khumalo and the two police officers then returned to the house together, where she informed Mthethwa of what happened.
On his second visit to the house, he cordoned off the area before going into the house where he found a spent casing, a crutch and hat on the kitchen floor, and two beer cans in the lounge.
Contradicting himself, Mthethwa later said: “Kelly’s mother appeared with the hat and said it belongs to the people; the ones who came there and committed the incident.”
Mthethwa told the court he is a sergeant in the SAPS attached to the Vosloorus police station crime prevention unit. He has 13 years’ experience.
Muzikawukhulelwa S’Tembu Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli are appearing in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria for the continuation of the trial on Thursday.
The five men allegedly shot and killed Meyiwa at the house of his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus on 26 October 2014.
They have been charged with murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Next month will mark 8 years since the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and captain was shot dead at his then-girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus.
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