Pieces of the mosaic towards a case of the assassination of former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa are finally coming together. That is according Afriforum Spokesperson, Barry Bateman, following the revelations of cellphone records linking a cellphone owned by Kelly Khumalo to that accused 5, Fisokuhle Ntuli, in the former Bafana Bafana captain’s murder trial.
Speaking to SABC News on Friday ahead of the resumption of the trial, Bateman says they are encouraged by the development in court yesterday and how quickly things are moving since the beginning of the rebooted trial under Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng.
He has described the testimony by Analyst and Investigation Officer, Lambertus Steyn, on the analysis of the cellphone data from the cellphones of the accused and the people who were in the house when Meyiwa was shot, as the putting together of pieces of information of a larger mosaic.
He says suggestions that Meyiwa’s killing was a hit are gradually being proven to true.
“Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has always been of the opinion that this was a hit, that it was not a robbery gone wrong. To see the evidence being led yesterday, certainly does suggest we are heading in that direction. It does at the very least ask for certain questions to be answered by certain implicated parties and we hope that the evidence to come, in the next witnesses that will be called by prosecutor, Advocate George Baloyi, will add to that picture, by adding those little pieces of the mosaic towards a case of what we believe is the assassination of Senzo Meyiwa.”
Pieces of the mosaic towards a case of the assassination of #SenzoMeyiwa coming together. That’s according to Afriforum Spokesperson Barry Bateman, following revelations of a cellphone records linking Kelly Khumalo’s phone to that of accused 5 in the #SenzoMeyiwaTrial #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/qJGlM2FwrS
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) July 28, 2023
Steyn has told the court that a cellphone number registered under the Asinne hitmaker Kelly Khumalo had contact with a number registered under accused 5, Fisokuhle Ntuli, on two occasions, the first time being on the 2nd of August 2014 at 22h40 with the call lasting for 110 seconds while the other call was recorded on the 15th of October 2014 at 17:33 with a call that lasted 98 seconds.
On both occasions, Khumalo received the calls.
Steyn, who says he has done about 2000 cases, has told the court that in April 2020, he received a CD containing cellphone data from investigation officer Brigadier Gininda. He says Gininda tasked him with establishing linkages between the five accused and any of the people who were in the house before the alleged two intruder stormed into the house.
The state has said they have no intention of calling Kelly Khumalo to give testimony in court. However, the defense says they will be bringing an application to have appear in court.
“We are not privy to the state’s strategy, although the evidence contained in the docket points towards and assassination and not a robbery gone wrong and we just hope that eventually we will get to that end, however that might be, whatever the state’s strategy might be,” says Bateman.
Afriforum says whatever the state’s strategy might be in getting all those who were involved in #SenzoMeyiwa‘s “assassination”, they hope everyone will eventually be charged and tried in court. #SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial pic.twitter.com/p3D6lCkKk4
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) July 28, 2023
The trial continues at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria where, Colonel Steyn, is giving testimony on the cellphone records.
