One of the first police officers to attend to the crime scene of the former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa’s shooting, has told the high court in Pretoria that they did not secure the scene the first time they were there.
Mlungisi Mthethwa took the stand on Tuesday morning as the state’s 12th witness since the start of the rebooted trial.
He says he and his colleague, Timothy Mathebula, and two student constables, received a call about an incident at Kelly Khumalo’s home in Mzamo Section. He says upon arrival they went into the house, with the two student constables waiting outside, and they noticed a hat and crutch in the kitchen.
Mthethwa: Upon opening the door, there was a hat and crutches that were just there. Just on the floor, close to the sink or stove.
We then went to the dining room. There was nothing much there. There two cans of liquor.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwaTrial #SenzoMeyiwa
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 15, 2023
On the back of information that the shooting victim incident had been rushed to the hospital, Mthethwa says, they then rushed to Botshelong Hospital without first securing the crime scene.
Mthethwa: Because the uncle didn’t know much about what had happened, we then requested that he should lock the house as we rushed to the hospital.
He locked and we then rushed to the hospital.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwaTrial #SenzoMeyiwa
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 15, 2023
Mthethwa: We then noticed the person had been shot on the chest.
Baloyi: Did you recognise the person?
Mthethwa: Yes. It was someone we had seen on TV before.
Baloyi: Who was that person?
Mthethwa: It was Senzo Meyiwa.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwa #SenzoMeyiwaTrial
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 15, 2023
During cross-examination by attorney Sipho Ramosepele for accused 1 and 2, Mthethwa has told the court they could not secure the scene because they were not sure whether the incident had happened inside or outside and they still needed that information from the people who had rushed the victim to the hospital.
Issues of crime scene tampering are expected to be heard as cross-examination continues.
Statements by Sylvia Ngubeni and her daughter, Gugu, who were some of the first people on the scene, mention neighbour, Maggie Phiri as having picked up cans from inside the house after the shooting. This they say was because Maggie Phiri, in her own words, said she didn’t want the police to know that the people who were in the house were drinking alcohol.
The defense also previously made accusations of evidence planting when Advocate Zandile Mshololo previously argued the bullet that was found in the kitchen of Kelly Khumalo’s home had been planted in order to link her client to the crime.
Mthethwa says only on their second visit to the scene did they cordon off the scene.
Mthethwa: We then entered the house and noticed there was a bullet projectile on the floor.
Baloyi: The other items you had seen earlier, where were they?
Mthethwa: They were still there where we had left it.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwaTrial #SenzoMeyiwa
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 15, 2023
