In a twist of events, Zandile Khumalo’s testimony that her sister, musician and socialite Kelly Khumalo, had a good relationship with the late soccer star Senzo Meyiwa, came crumbling after text messages revealed that Kelly actually regretted meeting Meyiwa.
This was revealed on Friday at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Zandile was under cross-examination by advocate Zithulele Nxumalo who is representing one of the five men accused of killing Meyiwa during a botched robbery in 2014.
Nxumalo went into messages which Kelly had sent sometime in 2013 where the musician was complaining about Meyiwa.
"I regret everything, I wish I didn’t allow Senzo into my life look at all the mess it has gotten us into. It’s all his lies now affecting all of us,“ read the message.
Nxumalo asked Zandile to explain what was happening when the message was sent.
“I’m not sure what was happening,” she replied.
Nxumalo asked clarity on the mess Kelly was referring to.
Zandile said Meyiwa was not an honest person, he lied to both Kelly and his wife, Mandisa Mkhize.
“He would be with Kelly and at times he would be with Mandisa and when he was with Kelly, he would say this and when he was with Mandisa, he would say something else, I think that’s what she was referring to."
Nxumalo went on further and read a message where Kelly said Meyiwa had brought a dark cloud in her life.
"I’m emotionally drained. I sometimes feel like Senzo brought a dark cloud in my life. And I can almost hate myself for not succeeding in getting rid of him via sms and the sms would not go....I feel like God is deliberately sabotaging me by keeping this man in my life,’’ read the message.
In explaining the message, Zandile said she doesn’t remember everything but she knows they had troubles because of the love triangle.
“There was a back and forth between the three of them. All I know is that Kelly loved Senzo and Senzo also loved Kelly,” she said.
On Thursday, when asked to describe the relationship Kelly had with Meyiwa, she said they were happy and in love.
She further told the court on Tuesday that two co-owned a BMW X6 vehicle.
Meyiwa was married to Mandisa Mkhize at the time of his death, and the couple had a daughter.
He also had a daughter with Kelly who is now nine-years-old.
Meyiwa’s father, Sameul Meyiwa, publicly disapproved of his son dating Kelly, before and after his son’s death.
He was killed on October 26, 2014, in Vosloorus while visiting the Khumalo homestead.
In the house that day were Meyiwa, Kelly Khumalo and her younger sister, Zandile, their mother Ntombi Khumalo, Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, Kelly’s then four-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.
The five men accused of killing Meyiwa have pleaded not guilty.
The five men - Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifokuhle Ntuli - are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm as well as possession of ammunition.
The trial continues.
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