Defence witness Sifiso Gwabini Zungu took the stand on Monday in the former Bafana Bafana shot-stopper Senzo Meyiwa murder trial and flatly contradicted the evidence of the state’s key witness, Constable Sizwe Zungu.
Gwabini insisted that no gathering of the five accused ever took place at his Vosloorus hostel room on the day Meyiwa was shot dead.
Zungu in 2023 had told the court that Gwabini hosted him and the accused at his Basotho hostel room on the day Meyiwa was killed.
Knows four of the suspects
Gwabini, a resident of Basotho Hostel, told the court he is connected to four of the men in the dock.
He described accused one, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, as his brother, the child of his mother’s elder sister. And accused five, Fisokuhle Ntuli, is his cousin, his uncle’s child.
He went on to say accused two, Bongani Ntanzi, grew up with him. And they would come together for song and dance. While accused four, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, hails from the same area as his mother.
Gwabini said he does not know accused number three, Mthobisi Prince Mncube.
Despite these ties, he rejected Constable Sizwe Zungu’s testimony that Gwabini had phoned him on the morning of October 26, 2014. He then invited him to the hostel and later hosted all five accused.
Never saw cop till 2017
“That’s lies,” Gwabini said. He repeated this whenever the constable’s version was put to him by defence lawyer for accused one and three, advocate Charles Mnisi.
He told Mnisi that the very first time Constable Zungu came to him was in 2017.
“And it was a surprise to me, I never came across Zungu in 2014. I only saw him in 2017,” he clarified.
Mnisi asked Gwabini why he claims that Zungu told lies in court. He said it is because he had last seen the constable in 1998. He had no contact with him until 2017, when he arrived unexpectedly.
Gwabini insisted the alleged phone calls, the meeting at Carlton Centre, and the afternoon gathering at the hostel between 2pm and 3pm never happened.
Insists relative is lying about him
The two men are related, as Gwabini told the court that the constable’s father is his grandfather. However, he stated that his relative’s entire story is a lie.
Advocate Mnisi had assured the witness he enjoyed freedom of expression in court. Gwabini used it to dismantle the state’s narrative that the five accused were together at his hostel hours before Senzo Meyiwa was killed. The murder happened at Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus on the night of October 26, 2014.
The trial continues.
