Witness to Senzo Meyiwa murder, Tumelo Madlala does not recognise one of the accused

Tumelo Madlala, the state's first witness to the murder of footballer Senzo Meyiwa says he does not recognise accused 5, convicted hitman Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli.

Tumelo Madlala was being cross-examined by Ntuli's lawyer, Zandile Mshololo, in the Pretoria high court on Wednesday.

In January, Ntuli was sentenced to six life terms and 39 years by the Esikhawini regional court for murders he committed in the Nongoma area from 2015 to 2018 by a task team set up to probe political killings.

Meyiwa was killed in Vosloorus in October 2014. Madlala, his lifelong friend, is testifying about the night two intruders allegedly walked into the home and demanded their valuables. He previously identified accused 2, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, as the man Meyiwa had pinned against the wall in the kitchen on the night he was fatally shot. 

On Wednesday, Madlala told the court that he did not see Ntuli that night.

“I did not see him in the house, he was not among the intruders who entered,” he said.

Madlala was quizzed again about the payment he received from a production company for a Netflix documentary on Meyiwa's murder.

Mshololo accused Madlala of being disloyal to his late friend.

“You ceased to be a friend after the deceased died. The manner in which you behaved after he died was shocking. You received money from Netflix [for selling his pictures] and you did not share the money you got with his child, fiancée or mother,’’ said Mshololo.

Madlala denied that he betrayed his friend, saying he had shared the photographs after receiving permission from the Meyiwa family.

“It is a lie that I betrayed him. I was approached by Netflix to give them his pictures and I refused. His family approached me and that’s when I gave out the pictures. They also benefited from Netflix. I did not share the money with anyone because it is my money,’’ Madlala said.

Meyiwa's parents were paid R250,000 for their collaboration with the documentary-makers, according to Tshepo Thobane, the lawyer for accused 1 to 4. He referred to this during his cross-examination of Madlala.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mshololo also disputed Madlala’s evidence that intruders had entered the house.

Madlala admitted to not hearing any noise when the intruders came in.

“You did not hear the noise of the door when the intruders came in because there is no intruder who entered the house. If it is true that intruders entered the house, you would have heard the noise of the door and the burglar [door],’’ said Mshololo.

Madlala disputed this. “I did not hear the intruders opening the door because the door was not properly closed, but I am sure that there were intruders.’’

The accused, Ntuli, Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Prince Mncube and Mthokoziseni Maphisa have pleaded not guilty.

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