The man accused of pulling the trigger that killed Bafana-Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa is refusing to back down. This as the murder trial continues in the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube maintains that he has never set foot inside the Vosloorus home where the football star was fatally shot nearly 12 years ago.
However, the State alleges that Mncube was the dreadlocked gunman who stormed inside singer Kelly Khumalo’s family home on October 26, 2014 and fired the fatal shot that killed the Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper during what prosecutors say was a botched robbery.
Taking the witness stand in his own defence on Tuesday, Mncube emphatically denied ever being at the Khumalo residence or participating in the events that led to Meyiwa’s death.
“I did not enter the Khumalos residence. I did not go in the company of accused number two to go to the Khumalo’s. I did not have or did not carry the firearm. I never stepped any foot into that place till today,” he told the court.
Mncube is one of five men standing trial for Meyiwa’s murder.
Throughout his testimony, he rejected the State’s version of events, insisting he had no involvement in the fatal shooting.
He also disputed claims that he matched witness descriptions of the gunman, telling the court he has never had a gold tooth, a feature mentioned by some witnesses.
The State has relied on cellphone records and tower data that places Mncube’s cellphone in the Vosloorus area on the day of the murder.
Prosecutors have also presented photographs allegedly linked to the vicinity.
Under questioning by his defence counsel, advocate Charles Mnisi, Mncube argued that the cellphone evidence merely reflected his movements while travelling through the area. He testified that he was on his way from Johannesburg to Spruit at Mazibuko Hostel and that his route naturally passed through the cellphone tower coverage area highlighted by the State.
Mncube further criticised the investigation, arguing that he had been denied justice because police never conducted an identity parade. He said those who were inside the Khumalo home on the night of the shooting would have had an opportunity to identify the person they saw had such a procedure been held.
He maintained that he was arrested despite not fitting the original descriptions given by witnesses at the scene.
Mncube also questioned why some of the people who were inside the house on the night of the shooting, including singer Kelly Khumalo, have not been called to testify during the trial.
Meyiwa’s mother, Ntombifuthi Meyiwa attended the court proceedings recently for the first time since the trial started.
The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has remained one of South Africa’s most closely followed since the death of the football star, more than a decade ago.
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- Mthobisi Mncube, accused of killing Bafana-Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, denies ever entering the Vosloorus home where the shooting occurred.
- The State alleges Mncube was the gunman who fatally shot Meyiwa during a botched robbery at singer Kelly Khumalo’s family home in 2014.
- Mncube disputes eyewitness descriptions, denies carrying a firearm, and challenges cellphone data placing him near the crime scene.
- He criticizes the investigation, highlighting the absence of an identity parade and questioning why key witnesses like Kelly Khumalo have not testified.
- Mncube is one of five men on trial; the case remains a high-profile legal matter in South Africa nearly 12 years after Meyiwa’s death.
Accused number three,
However, the State alleges that Mncube was the dreadlocked gunman who stormed inside singer Kelly
"I did not enter the
Mncube is one of five men standing trial for Meyiwa's murder.
He also disputed claims that he matched witness descriptions of the gunman, telling the court he has never had a gold tooth, a feature mentioned by some witnesses.
Prosecutors have also presented photographs allegedly linked to the vicinity.
Mncube further criticised the investigation, arguing that he had been denied justice because police never conducted an identity parade. He said those who were inside the
He maintained that he was arrested despite not fitting the original descriptions given by witnesses at the scene.
Mncube also questioned why some of the people who were inside the house on the night of the shooting, including singer Kelly
Meyiwa's mother,
ALSO READ: You're talking rubbish, Kelly
