Warrant Officer Thabo Mosia said he didn’t think it was necessary to take swabs of the kitchen door in the house where Senzo Meyiwa was murdered because a lot of people had come in contact with the door.
Mosia was the first crime scene investigator to arrive at the scene.
He was under cross-examination at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday.
Advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, who represents one of the five men accused of brutally killing Meyiwa, asked Mosia whether he had taken swabs of all doors inside the house.
"I didn’t take swabs of all door handles; I left the kitchen door and the sitting room," he said.
Nxumalo: "Do you have a sketch plan in front of you? Do you see the bedroom door opposite the bathroom door?" asked Nxumalo.
Using the scatch as a reference, Nxumalo asked Mosia whether he took swabs of the bedroom door, which was opposite the bathroom door.
No, I didn’t take swabs," replied Mosia.
"Why not?" asked Nxumalo.
"I didn’t care enough to swab the kitchen door because there were a lot of people coming in and out of that door. By the time I received the report, it had been a long time since the incident transpired, which made me believe that the occupants of the house had been using that door frequently," he said.
Nxumalo told Mosia that he was confusing him because he was asking about the bedroom door and not the kitchen door.
"I’m explaining in sequence; I will get to the bedroom and explain why we didn’t swab,’’ he said.
Mosia explained that he swabbed doors according to information he was given.
"According to information that emanated from the incident, Kelly Khumalo ran into bedroom one, and the suspect ran after her and tried to open the door. So that’s where we focused and tried to extract DNA and finger prints,’’ he said.
As Nxumalo kept on pressing Mosia about the swabs on the doors, Mosia said he was getting confused.
"Are you tired, Warrant Officer? It's been a long day; maybe that’s why you are getting confused. There’s no problem in admitting that you are tired,’’ said Nxumalo.
"I don’t know what to say, but what I know is that I’m getting confused," replied Nxumalo.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng asked Mosia what was confusing him.
"I’m getting confused with the sequence of the swabs. Bedroom two and the toilet door confuse me,’’ he said.
Earlier, Mosai testified that he did not perform a gun residue test on any of the people who were in the house — Kelly 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.
The five accused in the Meyiwa murder trial are Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Ncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli.
They are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The trial continues on Friday with Mosia still under cross-examination.
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