Africa-Press – South-Africa. One of the lawyers in the Senzo Meyiwa trial has revealed that all the people who were in the house the day the soccer star was shot and killed in October 2014 remain suspects in his death.
Advocate Zandile Mshololo dropped this bombshell on Monday while cross-examining the state’s first witness, Zandile Khumalo, asking her if she was aware that she was a suspect in Meyiwa’s murder.
Mshololo is the lawyer for accused number five, Fisokuhle Ntuli.
Ntuli, Bongani Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Mncube and Mthokoziseni Maphisa are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.
Meyiwa was shot at Khumalo’s Vosloorus home.
Other people who were at the house were her sister, singer and Meyiwa’s girlfriend at the time, Kelly; their mother, Ntombi; Khumalo’s boyfriend at the time Longwe Twala as well as Meyiwa’s two friends, Tumelo Madlala and Mthokozisi Thwala.
Although state prosecutor Advocate George Baloyi objected to the relevance of Mshololo’s question to Khumalo on whether she was aware that she is a suspect, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng allowed it.
Khumalo, who seemed taken aback by the question, pleaded ignorance on the matter.
Mshololo then read a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in North Gauteng.
In the letter, the DPP said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had not yet made a decision on prosecuting the suspects in the infamous second docket.
That docket is said to contain a different set of findings and suspects.
According to the letter, the NPA would only decide on prosecution after concluding the current trial.
“This [second] docket was opened because of the evidence which shows that you, those in the house, are suspects in this case.
“So, a decision to prosecute or not has not been finalised and will depend on the findings of this trial,” Mshololo said.
Khumalo said:
Earlier, Mshololo had referred Khumalo to a statement in which she described the events leading up to Meyiwa being shot.
“You testified that Longwe Twala was not armed when you were inside the house,” Mshololo said.
Khumalo responded by saying she knew Twala didn’t have a firearm and he was not armed on the night of the attack.
“He was not armed yet he was able to approach an armed person, and you want this court to believe that,” Mshololo said.
Khumalo said:
Throughout her cross-examination, Khumalo refused to be drawn into statements made by other witnesses who were also in the house when Meyiwa was killed.
She maintained that she was there to testify only on what she saw and told all lawyers that they were welcome to question the other parties when they take the stand.
Mshololo then asked Khumalo about the physical appearance of the second intruder. Khumalo has already testified in court that the second intruder was wearing a sweatshirt whose hood was covering his head.
Mshololo asked Khumalo about the hoodie’s colour and whether the second suspect was armed.
The witness said she couldn’t remember the colour of the hoodie and that she didn’t see whether the suspect had a weapon.
“You are fabricating the story; that’s why you can’t explain the hoodie and how it covered the head of the intruder,” Mshololo said.
Khumalo maintained that the only thing she remembered vividly was the face of the intruder, adding that the finer details of what he was wearing had faded away as the incident occurred eight years ago.
Mshololo is expected to continue with the cross-examination on Tuesday.
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