Expert confirms gun found on Mncube is the one presented in Meyiwa trial

Ballistics expert W/O Cornelius Roelofse has told the Pretoria high court the gun confirmed to have fired the fatal shot that killed footballer Senzo Meyiwa was the same gun he investigated in a separate murder case in 2015.

The court has already heard from several witnesses that the gun was found on Mthobisi Prince Mncube when he was arrested on a separate matter in Cleveland, Johannesburg, a year after Meyiwa's killing.

This week, ballistics expert Lt-Col Christian Mangena confirmed that the gun is the same one that killed Meyiwa in 2014. He said he was able to determine this after examining the projectile found on the kitchen counter at the crime scene and test bullets fired from the gun found in Mncube's possession.

On Friday, Roelofse confirmed the 9mm parabellum handed into court by Mangena was the same gun he investigated and tested in the Alexandra murder case.

He showed the court he had marked the gun with the lab number under the trigger and marked the blue box found with ammunition with a marker.

When he took to the stand, he listed the courses he had done, saying he had about 37 years of service in SAPS, 22 of which were spent in the ballistics section.

He said on February 13 he received the exhibit bag which included the 9mm parabellum pistol found in Mncube's possession and the serial number was scratched off. A magazine and blue box with ammunition were also among the contents he found.

He explained to the court that when a gun doesn't have a serial number, it is allocated a lab number. He was able to recover the gun's serial number.

He testified he conducted tests to check if the firearm was in good firing condition.

On February 13 2015, he sealed the evidence in an exhibit bag and handed it over to the case administration of the ballistic section.

Roelofse testified he had opened the evidence bags on February 18 2015 to compare it with evidence from an Alexandra case and again in 2016 to prepare for the Alexandra case.

He opened the bag to take photos of the exhibit, to compare the exhibit and create a court chart. “Then I sealed the bag again on the same day,” he said.

During cross-examination, Roelofse said ammunition for a 9mm-calibre pistol cannot fit inside a .38 Special revolver.

This is after defence attorney Sipho Ramosepele asked if the calibre of bullet could have come from a revolver.

Meyiwa's childhood friend, Tumelo Madlala, had testified that on the night of the incident, he noticed that the gun wielded by the first intruder had a wheel, suggesting that it was a revolver. 

Roelofse said it could have the same characteristics but there would be differences in markings.

His testimony also corroborated that of Mangena that the bullet that killed Meyiwa was unstable as it might have lost its energy when it pierced his body. “That is probably why it started tumbling after that,” he said. 

Members of the defence had suggested in their previous earlier cross-examination of witnesses that the bullet allegedly found at the crime scene could have been planted.

TimesLIVE