Witness says three people ran in direction from Khumalo home after shots were fired

A second neighbour of the Khumalos, who took to the stand in the high court in Pretoria on Wednesday, has partially corroborated the evidence of Zandile Zandi Khumalo that three gunshots went off on the night football star Senzo Meyiwa was killed.

Meyiwa was shot dead in Vosloorus in October 2014 in what Zandile had described as a botched robbery. 

Ntabiseng Mokete took the court on an emotional journey as she described seeing three people run up the street , past a vehicle she and another occupant had been sitting in. She told how she followed the Khumalos to hospital where Meyiwa was declared dead after numerous attempts to resuscitate him.

She told the court how she had lent her phone to singer Kelly Khumalo who made a call to Chicco Twala, another music legend.

Twala's son Longwe was among those in the house when the alleged intruders barged in but Longwe reportedly bolted out the house, leaving his then girlfriend, Zandile, Meyiwa, Kelly, the women's mother, Ntombi Khumalo, and two of Meyiwa's friends — Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala — in the house.

It was Zandile's version that Meyiwa was shot after a scuffle with one of the armed intruders. 

Mokete told the court of the chaos that night. Gunshots, people running down the streets, crying, wailing, chaotic scenes at the hospital and “an army of police” were among the memories she had of the day.

She spent most of her time on the stand with her eyes closed as if trying to gather her thoughts and recollect the events of October 26, 2014 — about nine years ago.

“I remember the doctor saying we tried all we can but he is no more,” Mokete said.

Zandile, who wrapped up her testimony on Tuesday, testified that three gunshots went off that night. She said she did not see Meyiwa being shot as she was hiding from the intruders. Meyiwa sustained a chest wound.

Mokete told the court that she was living at her sister, Maggy Phiri's place. On that night, she had been sitting with a friend in a car parked outside their yard when she heard a loud noise which she said sounded like a gunshot.

“[It was] a bang sound,” she said.

Mokete said she was sitting at the back, behind the diver's seat. She said she then saw a male running past, at about 8pm.

As she was debating with her friend about whether they had indeed heard a gunshot, another gunshot went off.

“The second gunshot sounded closer to the vehicle. After that, two people went past, running in the same direction as the first person,” she said.

She said when her friend opened the car door to check what was happening, there was a third gunshot-like sound.

Describing the people she saw running down the street, she said the first one was slim and short.

“Of the [other] two, one wasn't big in physique, he was of average height and he had dreadlocks. This other one was slightly bigger in physique. They didn't outrun each other, he had a hoodie on his head. He was taller than the other two,” she said.

Mokete, however, was asked during cross examination if she indeed saw the runners coming out of the home. She said no, adding that she only saw them running from that direction. It was propositioned to her that  they might have been running coz they also heard the gun shot. She did not deny this.

“I remember hearing Zandile’s voice and I could somehow see her saying, 'Ntabiseng, call the police'. She said, 'Call the ambulance, Senzo has been shot',” she said.

She said after Zandile asked her and Maphiri to call an ambulance she does not remember if an ambulance was called.

Mokete told the court that after Zandile had gone back to her home, she remembers going out of her home and seeing people at the Khumalo house. They had already loaded Meyiwa into the car, which was parked outside the home.

“It was said they were going to Botshelong because it was the nearest hospital.”

She testified that she followed them to the hospital and found the car parked at the emergency section driveway, where ambulances park.

At that moment, she said, Meyiwa was still in the car and two nurses, together with Kelly, Zandile, Madlala and Thwala, were struggling to get him out.

She said Zandile, Kelly and Madlala were crying.

Mokete further testified that her friend rushed to assist by dragging Meyiwa out of the car and he was placed on a stretcher.

She said as they sat outside the casualty area in the waiting room, she then lent her two phones to Madlala and Kelly to make some calls.

Mokete recalls being quickly called into Meyiwa’s ward by a nurse, and later being told that he “was no more” after attempts were made to resuscitate him.

She told the court how she left the room after the news was broken to her and that she had to wait for Kelly and Zandile's mother, MaKhumalo, to arrive and break the news to her children who were in the waiting area.

Being emotional, she related how she made a call to her sister, breaking the news.

She said when MaKhumalo finally came in, the doctors tried again to resuscitate Meyiwa, finally telling her that they tried all they could but he was dead.

“She wailed, and on the other side they also cried when they heard her. I think they knew things were not going well,” she said.

She described the hospital scene as chaotic after the news broke as the nurses were trying to open files and police were being called.

Mokete said there was a time when she received a call from Chicco Twala, who was returning a call made from her phone.

“When he called we had returned to the ward where Senzo was. It was already full. I remembered Kelly directing him [Chicco] to where we were because he eventually arrived,” she said.

Mokete told the court that she was the one completing forms in the hospital with the help of Kelly, as she did not know Meyiwa's details.

She said she left the hospital with MaKhumalo in a police car as they had to direct the police to the house where the shooting happened. She did not remember the time.

Upon their return to the house, she said they sat in one of the bedrooms. After a while, when she went to get water in the kitchen, she saw a brownish hat with some white.

“MaKhumalo was holding that hat and she said here's a hat that belongs to one of them. I remember seeing a walking stick, it was in the kitchen close to the kitchen unit and close to the door,” she said.

She said the police were combing through the crime scene when she pointed out something that looked like steel to the police. She told the court that she then went back to the bedroom until many police members arrived.

“After some time those who were at the hospital arrived. I remember the second batch of police, who were many. They were asking questions in another bedroom. I remember seeing Longwe and Tumelo being interviewed in the bedroom. I don't remember the others. I don't remember seeing Mthokozisi.”

She testified that when the police and the Khumalos left that night she went home.

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