Defence asks if there was fighting when Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead

Zandile Mshololo, advocate for one of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case, on Thursday continued to pour water on the testimony of Meyiwa’s best friend, Tumelo Madlala, that intruders entered the Vosloorus home where Meyiwa was gunned down in 2014.

Reading out a statement by Edward Mlungisi Hlophe, the brother-in-law of Meyiwa, Mshololo — representing Fisokuhle Ntuli — grilled Madlala as to whether there was a fight among some of the occupants who were in the home when Meyiwa was murdered.

Meyiwa 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 boyfriend Longwe Twala and Senzo's friends Mthokozisi Twala and Madlala.

In the statement read by Mshololo in the high court in Pretoria, Hlophe said he had called Madlala on the night of October 26 2014.

“I wanted to get the truth of what exactly happened. Tumelo told me that there was a fight in Kelly Khumalo’s house. Zandi was fighting with her boyfriend and Senzo Meyiwa was trying to separate the two, Zandi and her boyfriend (Longwe Twala).”

In the statement, Hlophe said he asked Tumelo who was Zandi.

“Tumelo told me Zandi was Kelly’s sister, that was the short conversation I had with Tumelo,” read the statement deposed to in Durban on March 6 2019.

However, Madlala, who told the court that he never had a relationship with Hlophe except seeing him when he was with Meyiwa, denied that there was any fight in the house.

 “That's a lie, I don’t know where they come from, “Madlala said.

Madlala also denied that he had spoken to Hlophe after the incident.

“I didn’t call him, I didn’t talk to him, the person I spoke to was Senzo’s brother except for my family members,” he said.

Madlala further added that he knew that Hlope’s statements were made under the directive of the investigator in the second docket (AS 375/1/2019) of the murder trial, Col Joyce Buthelezi.

In the second docket,  Kelly Khumalo and those present at the scene of his murder in 2014 are the accused.

Madlala went further to accuse Buthelezi of pushing a certain narrative and causing confusion in the matter.

“The same Buthelezi told me that she will tell Hlophe to shoot me because I don’t want to talk,” Madlala said.

Having spent eight  days on the stand testifying, Madlala could not tell the court who between the two intruders shot Meyiwa or how many shots were fired.

“I cannot remember, I cannot say for sure, it has been a long time since the incident happened,” were some of the reasons Madlala gave when he could not recollect some of the events and details.

Madlala has testified that on the night of the incident, a short, male intruder with dreadlocks and wearing a hat had entered the house in the sitting area where they had been watching TV, pointed a gun at them and demanded cellphones and money.

According to Madlala, at that moment, Longwe quickly ran towards the assailant, pushed him and ran out of the house.

Madlala said as the commotion started and some of the occupants in the house started fighting the assailant with the intention to run out, he was met by Meyiwa in the kitchen, pinning a second tall male intruder to the kitchen floor.

He further testified that when a deafening gunshot went off, he ran to one of the bedrooms in the house and hid there until he came out after a while and discovered that Meyiwa had been shot in the chest.

A statement read in court deposed to by Khumalo's then neighbour,  Khaya Ngcatshe, said there was commotion in the house the night of the incident.

“First I said maybe the people at the Khumalo residence were partying, the shoving and pushing was so loud that I peeked through the bedroom window.

“I saw a person whose back was against the kitchen window at the Khumalo’s residence,” read the statement. The neighbour said the person was wearing a white T-shirt.

“But I could not see who the person was. At that time it is when the shot was fired,” the statement read.

Madlala confirmed that Meyiwa was wearing a white T-shirt.

Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Ntuli have been charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. 

They all pleaded not guilty.

Madlala had pointed out Ntanzi as the second intruder who entered the house, reiterating that he could still point him out in 30 years' time.

Mshololo concluded her cross-examination and the state is re-examining the witness. The trial continues.

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