'Meyiwa murder scene was deliberately cleaned up before cops' arrival'

Forensics expert Mosia agrees with witness statement

07 June 2022 - 08:27
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Sgt Thabo Mosia giving testimony during the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial at the high court in Pretoria where five people are accused of killing the football star.
Sgt Thabo Mosia giving testimony during the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial at the high court in Pretoria where five people are accused of killing the football star.
Image: Thulani Mbele

The scene where Senzo Meyiwa was gunned down was cleaned up before police arrived and cordoned it off.

This shocking revelation came out on Monday in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in the trial of the five men accused of the murder of Meyiwa. It came through witness statements read out and beamed on a computer screen for all to see.

Adv Zandile Mshololo, representing accused No 5, read out the witness statements and told state witness Sgt Thabo Mosia, who was the first forensic investigator to arrive at the crime scene, that the area where Meyiwa was killed was actually tampered with and cleaned up before he arrived.

Meyiwa was shot dead on October 26  2014 at the Vosloorus house, East Rand, belonging to the mother of his then girlfriend Kelly Khumalo.

Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli have been charged with his murder.

Mshololo read a statement titled “Statement 117" to argue her case that empty beer bottles were removed from the scene before police arrived so that “police could not see that the people in the house were drinking”.

Mshololo would not identify the three authors of the statements she presented in court. 

“When I arrived at the Khumalo house, the doors were closed. I do not know who opened the doors. Myself, Maggie Phiri, Julia Mosia and Gugu went into the house. The reason I went into the house is because I wanted to see what happened in the house. While we were in the house I saw water on the floor in the passage, near the toilet.

“I was amazed to see water on the floor when I was told somebody was shot in the house. Maggie Phiri started to pick up the empties [bottles] from the floor. I asked her why she was tidying up before police could arrive ... Maggie responded that she does not want police to see that the people who were in the house were drinking,” read the statement. 

Mshololo told Mosia that when he arrived at the crime scene it had already been cleaned up and cordoned off by police.

“So, do you see that according to this statement you arrived when the crime scene had already been cleaned?”

Mosia responded by saying, “I understand.”

Mshololo read out other statements, referred to as 118 and 1A119.

“I further heard my mother saying MaPhiri (Maggie), why are you tidying up before police could arrive at the scene? I did not see what was she doing or removing ... When my mother was asking why MaPhiri was tidying up, she responded she does not want people to know that they were drinking,” read the statement.

“Myself, Maggie Phiri, Happy Ngubeni and Gugu Ngubeni decided to enter ... The door was wide open. Maggie Phiri led us inside the house. I entered and stood at the passage. I saw a lot of empty beer bottles on the floor. I did not see anything else besides the empty beer bottles.

“Maggie Phiri suggested that we should clean the house before police arrived. We ignored her and she continued to pack the empty beer bottles and we left Phiri behind busy packing the empties,” read the statement.

“What is being said by this witness is that the scene inside the house was cleaned. In other words, the crime scene was tampered with before you arrived and in that process of cleaning, we do not know what was removed or planted,” Mshololo said.

Mosia responded by saying: “That is correct.”

The trial continues.

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