Cellphone data analyst Gideon Gouws has maintained that Fisokuhle Ntuli, accused number five in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has been identified as the one who kept in touch with the other four accused.
Gouws said this on Wednesday when he took the stand at the Pretoria High Court after the proceedings were postponed on Monday.
During cross-examination by the defence, Gouws revealed that a phone number associated with Ntuli was used to contact the rest of the accused.
According to Gouws’ evidence, a contact saved as “Lungisani” on accused number two, Bongani Ntanzi’s phone, has been linked to accused number five.
Denials and more denials
“This is a number that kept contact with all the accused,” said Gouws.
When the evidence was delivered, Ntanzi denied that the cellphone number was Ntuli’s, while accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube, said he did not know any person called Lungisani.
Mncube’s lawyer, Charles Mnisi, continued with his cross-examination and asked Gouws if the data showed any communication between the other suspects, to which Gouws said no.
“I’m going to put it to you that this aligns with what accused three is saying — that he didn’t communicate with accused one and two; he didn’t know them,” said Mnisi.
Gouws replied: “I never said he communicated with them. I said that number was connected to all of the accused.”
Closing his cross-examination, Mnisi told the court that accused number three said he knew accused number five from a while back; therefore, communication between the two of them should not be surprising.
Gouws went on to share that accused number four, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, contacted accused number one, Muzikawukhalelwa Sibiya, 14 times.
Accused four and one are related
“Another number, an 083 number linked to Maphisa, also contacted the accused five Fisokuhle Ntuli 127 times. One-hundred and twenty-five were direct calls and two SMS’s,” said Gouws.
He added that the communication happened between June 18, 2018 and March 3, 2021.
Advocate Zithulele Nxumalo, the counsel for accused number four, said his client knew accused number one because they are related.
“Mr Gouws, I’m going to tell you this for the first time, accused number four knows accused number one; he is his nephew.”
The trial continues
