Senzo Meyiwa trial: how come fleeing Longwe Twala was not shot at?
Image: File/ Thulani Mbele
One of the defence lawyers in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, advocate Zandile Mshololo, on Wednesday asked how Longwe Twala managed to flee from an armed gunman without being harmed on the night Meyiwa was killed.
“Is it possible for a person who is not armed to go straight to a person who is armed? Besides Longwe running towards the intruder [who was] carrying a firearm, how come he was not shot when he approached the person carrying a gun? Mshololo probed.
She is representing Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli in the trial and was cross-examining Tumelo Madlala.
Madlala, who was Meyiwa’s long-time friend, was at the house when Meyiwa was killed.
The football star was gunned down in October 2014, in what was described as a botched robbery in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, in the presence of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, her mother Ntombi, sister Zandi, Zandi’s then-boyfriend Longwe Twala and Senzo’s friends Mthokozisi Twala and Madlala.
He has told the high court in Pretoria that when the first intruder came inside the house, he pointed a gun at them and demanded cellphones and money. It was Madlala’s version that Twala ran towards the gun-wielding man, pushed him and ran out of the house.
According to Madlala, the man who had the gun had big eyes and was short with dreadlocks. He was wearing a hat with a jacket.
Madlala has testified that he looked towards the intruder and the gun but could not look at him directly. He had also previously testified that after Twala's dash, a scuffle started with Kelly, Zandi and their mother who looked to attack the first dreadlocked intruder.
Madlala, who was Meyiwa’s long-time friend had previously testified that they had been drinking and watching soccer before the intruders barged into the house but Mshololo dismissed this claim.
“There was no intruder at any stage in that house. There is no way Longwe could have gone to the person carrying a firearm without being shot,” Mshololo put to Madlala.
“It clearly shows that there was no intruder who entered the house carrying a gun,” she added, pouring water on Madlala’s version of events.
Madlala admitted it was “not possible”, as he also did not approach the intruder.
“It’s not possible,” Madlala said.
“The same question you are asking, I am still asking myself how he did it,” Madlala added.
Mshololo questioned the possibility of the assault of an armed man by three women.
Madlala said during the scuffle he made to run out of the house but was met with Meyiwa pinning a second tall intruder to the kitchen wall.
He said he could not see if the person was armed.
Madlala said he also did not see who fired the shot that killed Meyiwa.
Mshololo asked Madlala who made a decision to take Meyiwa to the hospital among those who were in the house. He said he did not know.
He said he could not take decisions as Meyiwa’s girlfriend was present.
Meanwhile, the media contingent covering the trial was removed from the court in the afternoon.
This after state prosecutor George Baloyi told the court there had been a live feed depicting the Madlala testimony on live television.
The court had ruled that Madlala’s face not be shown.
The media was ordered out the courtroom as the judge tried to determine the source of the feed.
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