Johannesburg - Officers who attended the Vosloorus home of Kelly Khumalo following the shooting of Senzo Meyiwa have been described as “reckless and ignorant” by the defence counsel of the men on trial for the murder of the soccer player.
Advocate Zandile Mshololo, the legal counsel for Sifisokuhle Ntuli, the fifth accused, gave State witness Sergeant Patrick Mlungisi Mthethwa a tough time on the witness stand following his testimony in the High Court in Pretoria yesterday.
Mthethwa, stationed at the Vosloorus Police Station, testified in court he was one of the first responders who attended the call regarding a shooting at the Khumalo house on October 26, 2014, along with another officer and two students.
He told the court they were unable to establish what had happened at the Khumalo house as the only person present upon their arrival was Themba Khumalo, who told them he had been left guarding the house by Ntombi Khumalo, referred to as MaKhumalo.
He said they only cordoned off the scene upon their return from the hospital with MaKhumalo.
This became the crux of Mshololo’s attack on the officers’ work on the day when attending to the scene after a call.
“Officer Mthethwa, I put it to you that you were reckless and ignorant in not safeguarding the crime scene after you received a report of a shooting in progress,” she said.
Mthethwa, however, said they would not have left the scene had they known what was happening and only left to find the people who could give them further information.
The legal counsel read out in court the statements of witnesses who entered the house before the officer’s arrival at the scene and how tampering had taken place.
Such as the statement of Gugu Ngubeni, who indicated she was placed in possession of the Khumalo house keys at one point after the occupants rushed to take Meyiwa to the nearby hospital for attention.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng also raised concerns about how the officers carried out their investigations after a woman told them the alleged intruders were seen running towards the park.
Mthethwa responded they had driven to the park and flashed their lights, but remained inside the vehicle before returning to the Khumalo home.
“Why didn’t you alight from the vehicle? Here is a contemporaneous situation where a person alerts you to the movement of alleged persons who have done something wrong?” questioned Judge Mokgoatlheng.
He further pushed: “Where does it lead to? I’m concerned about the dimensions of the park because I want to say to you, my view is that if you were conscientious enough to get out of the vehicle, you could have gone into the heart of the park to see the dimensions and possible escape routes and called for back-up as that’s also a crime scene, not so?
“It’s also curious that the dimensions encapsulated in all these counsels are that the park is not depicted as part of the crime scene. Even though it has been said the alleged intruders ran in that direction and accessed a park.”
The trial continues today, with Mthethwa bringing his qualifications as requested by counsel, followed by another officer expected to take the stand.
The Star