Senzo Meyiwa trial: No one in the house called the police or an ambulance when soccer star was shot

The five men accused of murder of South African soccer star Senzo Meyiwa appear in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. File Picture: Oupa Mokoena/ African News Agency (ANA)

The five men accused of murder of South African soccer star Senzo Meyiwa appear in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. File Picture: Oupa Mokoena/ African News Agency (ANA)

Published Jul 31, 2023

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None of the people who were in the house with slain Bafana Bafana captain, Senzo Meyiwa called the police or emergency services after he was shot, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard on Monday.

Colonel Lambertus Steyn — who is an analyst and investigating officer at the SAPS Cold Case Unit — was under cross-examination by advocate Sipho Ramosepele, for accused number one and two.

Ramosepele asked Steyn whether there were calls made by the people in the house to police or emergency services when the Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was gunned down.

In his response, Steyn said from the phone analysis, none of them called the police or the emergency number.

“I did check all the numbers of all the people and I couldn’t find any numbers of the police or not even 10111, or the ambulance,’’ he said.

Meyiwa was gunned down at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus home in a suspected robbery, on October 26, 2014.

The people who were in the house on the day Meyiwa was murdered, were Khumalo and her younger sister, Zandile, their mother Ntombi Khumalo (MaKhumalo), Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends, Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, Kelly’s then four-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.

Zandile Khumalo, who has already testified, told the court that she didn’t call for help using her cellphone because after the shooting, she had a mind block and instead, she ran to the neighbours for help.

Last week Friday, Steyn testified that there was evidence of cellphone contact between some of the accused and Kelly Khumalo.

The five murder accused are:

– Accused 1, Muzikawukhulelwa Sthemba Sibiya,

– Accused 2, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi,

– Accused 3, Mthobisi Prince Ncube,

– Accused 4, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa, and,

– Accused 5, Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli.

Steyn said accused number five, Ntuli, had made cellphone contact with Meyiwa’s girlfriend at the time, Kelly Khumalo twice before the fatal shooting.

Ntuli had contacted Khumalo twice, in August 2014, and in October 2014, about a fortnight before the goalkeeper was murdered.

Steyn has also found pictures of accused number three, Ncube, which showed he had dreadlocks a day before and on the day of Meyiwa's murder.

Meanwhile, Ramosepele told the court that his client, Sibiya denied using the number that was mentioned in court.

Ramosepele also argued that Ntanzi said the number which is said to be his, he only acquired in 2019 and never had it in 2014.

Steyn said it could have been RICA'd using family details.

However, Ramosepele argued that Ntanzi was adamant that the SIM card was RICA'd under his name, as he it bought the phone at Dunns or Markham using his ID.

The trial continues.

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