The High Court in Pretoria has heard testimony from three State witnesses regarding events that transpired the night Senzo Meyiwa was brutally killed, although their evidence was similar in some parts, there were a few areas where there were discrepancies.
The witnesses were two neighbours, as well as Zandile Khumalo who was in the house when the late Bafana Bafana captain and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was shot during a botched robbery in 2014.
Zandile was the first witness to be called to testify and spent almost a week butting heads with the defence regarding her testimony.
Zandile maintained that two men entered the house and demanded cellphones and money before shooting Meyiwa in a scuffle.
Testimony from the first neighbour, Khaya Ngcatshe
On the day Meyiwa was killed, he heard a commotion coming from the Khumalo house and checked from his bedroom window to see what was happening.
He said he saw a man wearing a white t-shirt standing against the door and would later learn that it was actually Meyiwa after he saw him lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Ngcatshe said he found Meyiwa lying face up next to the kitchen bleeding from his chest.
This was slightly contrary to Zandile’s version, who said Meyiwa was lying between the TV stand and the couch.
Zandile’s testimony suggests that Meyiwa was lying in the living room.
Before going to the house, Ngcatshe said he was part of community members that ran to the park in attempt to catch the intruders.
They ran at least 200 metres until they reached the park, which was where they were told the intruders went but they saw nothing and retreated.
Ngcatshe said he never saw anyone running from the Khumalo house.
Testimony from the second neighbour, Nthabiseng Mokete
Before Nthabiseng Mokete took the stand, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng who is presiding over the trial, mentioned that it was bizarre that no one saw people running from the crime scene, especially in a township.
However, Mokete revealed that she saw three men running towards the park after shots were fired in the Khumalo house.
Mokete said she didn’t see the men coming from the Khumalo house, however, they all ran past her house while she was sitting inside a car with a friend.
After the first shot went off, a tall and slim man went past their car and ran towards the park.
After a couple of minutes, two more shots were fired followed by two men who also ran past and headed in the same direction as the first one.
When describing the men, Mokete said she didn’t see their faces, but she remembers that the first man was tall and slim, the last two men were average height, and one had dreadlocks.
IOL