As Senzo Meyiwa took his last breath on his way to the Botshelong Emilweni Hospital in Vosloorus on October 26 2014, the Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was reminded to think about his children.
Meyiwa's close friend and fourth state witness in the murder trial who witnessed the incident in a Vosloorus home on the day, Mthokozisi Thwala, told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday that as they rushed Meyiwa to hospital they tried to tell him what he needed to hear.
“I tried to talk to him, we were all trying to say what we wanted him to hear, what he needed. I remember telling him to think about his children. From there his breathing and gasping was going down and there was a point where I held his hand to see if his hand will go down, but he held the hand for a little while,” he said.
Meyiwa was fatally wounded in what was described as a botched robbery in the presence of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, her mother Ntombi, sister Zandi, Zandi’s boyfriend Longwe Twala and Senzo’s friends Thwala and Tumelo Madlala.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli are on trial for the murder.
They have been charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. All have pleaded not guilty.
Describing the scuffle that resulted in a gunshot going off, Thwala said those involved in the scuffle were Meyiwa, two intruders, Madlala, Kelly’s mother and Zandi.
“When the scuffle happened, Senzo and Tumelo, if I remember clearly, were the ones involved in a scuffle with those two men, then Zandi and her mother were beating the short one who was holding a gun. They were hitting him with crutches,” Thwala said.
Everyone was in shock when the shot went off, going separate ways.
“The boy [Kelly Khumalo's son] who was next to me ran to the sitting room,” he said.
As he ran he might have heard a second gunshot.
“As I was running the second one [intruder] chased me,” he said.
Thwala explained how he jumped a wall and ended up on a neighbour's property who came out and later went back with him to the Khumalo home.
“As we entered the house with the boy from next door, and as we entered the house through the kitchen towards the sitting room, that is where I saw Senzo lying down. I went to him, he was wearing a white T-shirt and I pulled his T-shirt up and I noticed the bullet on his chest.”
Meyiwa's friend describes rushing him to hospital after he was shot
As Senzo Meyiwa took his last breath on his way to the Botshelong Emilweni Hospital in Vosloorus on October 26 2014, the Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was reminded to think about his children.
Meyiwa's close friend and fourth state witness in the murder trial who witnessed the incident in a Vosloorus home on the day, Mthokozisi Thwala, told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday that as they rushed Meyiwa to hospital they tried to tell him what he needed to hear.
“I tried to talk to him, we were all trying to say what we wanted him to hear, what he needed. I remember telling him to think about his children. From there his breathing and gasping was going down and there was a point where I held his hand to see if his hand will go down, but he held the hand for a little while,” he said.
Meyiwa was fatally wounded in what was described as a botched robbery in the presence of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, her mother Ntombi, sister Zandi, Zandi’s boyfriend Longwe Twala and Senzo’s friends Thwala and Tumelo Madlala.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli are on trial for the murder.
They have been charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. All have pleaded not guilty.
Describing the scuffle that resulted in a gunshot going off, Thwala said those involved in the scuffle were Meyiwa, two intruders, Madlala, Kelly’s mother and Zandi.
“When the scuffle happened, Senzo and Tumelo, if I remember clearly, were the ones involved in a scuffle with those two men, then Zandi and her mother were beating the short one who was holding a gun. They were hitting him with crutches,” Thwala said.
Everyone was in shock when the shot went off, going separate ways.
“The boy [Kelly Khumalo's son] who was next to me ran to the sitting room,” he said.
As he ran he might have heard a second gunshot.
“As I was running the second one [intruder] chased me,” he said.
Thwala explained how he jumped a wall and ended up on a neighbour's property who came out and later went back with him to the Khumalo home.
“As we entered the house with the boy from next door, and as we entered the house through the kitchen towards the sitting room, that is where I saw Senzo lying down. I went to him, he was wearing a white T-shirt and I pulled his T-shirt up and I noticed the bullet on his chest.”
Thwala said Meyiwa was still alive and gasping.
“I remember there was someone who gave us a towel. Blood was coming out because it was on the towel. He was still alive, he was gasping. What I remembered, I heard was someone saying 'call an ambulance' and one saying 'rush him to the hospital' and we took him to his car.”
Thwala said those who helped carry Meyiwa to his car were himself, Madlala, the boy from the neighbour's house, Zandi and other men from the neighbouring houses.
Kelly Khumalo was driving.
He said Meyiwa's body was on his lap, while his head was on Madlala's side.
“It looked like Senzo wanted to say something because he was making signs as someone breathing through the wound,” he said.
Meyiwa's hand became limp when they arrived at the emergency section at the hospital.
The trial before judge Tshifhiwa Maumela continues.
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