Tumelo Madlala told the high court in Pretoria on Tuesday that he only attended the identification parade once and did not pick any of the five men accused with the murder of Senzo Meyiwa.
Madlala was answering questions by defence counsel Timothy Thobane and Zandile Mshololo during cross-examination.
He confirmed that he and other witnesses who were at the home of Gladness Khumalo, where Meyiwa was killed on October 26 2014, provided the police with the identification information of the alleged intruders.
However, when asked about the five accused, Madlala said he did not identify any of them, including accused number two, whom he singled out when he was testifying in September.
Mshololo asked: “You did not attend any identification parade wherein accused number two was present?”
“Yes, I have never done an ID parade,” Madlala responded.
The accused
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli stand accused of Meyiwa’s murder at the home of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus, on the east of Johannesburg.
Earlier during the proceedings on Tuesday, Thobane, who represents accused number one to four, gave an account of where his clients were at the time Meyiwa was killed, and asked for Madlala’s response.
Thobane, who said his clients were in prison at the time, alleged that accused number two, Ntanzi, was offered money to take the fall for the crime, but he rejected the offer.
He then argued that Ntanzi was actually in KwaZulu-Natal at the time of the murder, adding that there are bank records that can substantiate the evidence.
However, Madlala maintained that Ntanzi, whom he only recognised when he made his first appearance in court, was at the house when Meyiwa was killed.
It also emerged in court that Madlala does not recognise accused number four and accused number five. After the defence asked about these two men, respectively, Madlala responded with a similar response, saying he does not know them and does not know the reason for their presence in court.
“I don’t know him, I have never seen him before,” Madlala responded when asked about accused number four. With regards to accused number five, he said: “I don’t know him, I don’t know why he is here.”
Madlala’s testimony in September
Madlala singled out Ntanzi as the second intruder whom Meyiwa held up against the wall while trying to defend the people in the house on the day of his murder.
He said he could not testify when he first arrived in court because he was frightened after seeing the intruders, telling the court that it was the first time “he is seeing them like this”.
He went further to tell the court: “I don’t care about people, what I am doing is for Senzo, not anyone else. If it happens that you have seen someone before and you see that person again, it will not be difficult to point the person out. I wouldn’t lie in a case like this.”
At the time, Thobane described Madlala as an “elusive” witness, after he failed to remember the time at which the intruders invaded the house, and the time at which he saw the evidence found in the kitchen.
Madlala said he did not even remember if it was dark or not.
Chicco Twala and his son Longwe
Meanwhile, Chicco Twala was spotted at the Meyiwa family’s home in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend. Asked for a comment, Twala told Sunday World to contact him later. Questions were sent to him on WhatsApp Messenger and via SMS, but he shied away.
However, according to media reports, Twala allegedly went to the Meyiwa family to offer his support.
All this while his son Longwe, who is one of the witnesses who were present when Meyiwa was killed, is widely accused of either knowing the truth about the murder or being the one who pulled the trigger.
A statement approved by Madlala sparked controversy on Monday after it was read in court, with many interpreting it as per their own understanding.
It read: “I was for the first time to see Longwe Twala, and I did not tell anyone or the Meyiwa family that Senzo was killed by Longwe Twala, because he did not have a firearm with him, instead he ran away.”
Asked about the statement, Madlala refused to divulge information, stating that the statement was written by an officer who was questioning him at the time. This despite having confirmed that he approved the statement.
Chicco’s name is not foreign to the contents of the trial, he was mentioned during court proceedings in September. The court heard at the time that Chicco offered to pay for Kelly’s vacation overseas soon after Meyiwa was killed.
According to Madlala, the musician visited Kelly’s house in Mulbarton, southern Johannesburg a few days after Meyiwa was gunned down.
Madlala testified: “I am not sure about the day, but I was still in Mulbarton when Chicco Twala visited and Kelly introduced me as Senzo’s friend. I heard him [Chicco] asking if she didn’t want to go overseas for a holiday.”
State advocate George Baloyi probed about the date, to which Madlala said he did not remember and asked if the court could allow him to testify without mentioning the dates, stating that it had been a long time since the incident happened.
Chicco’s relationship with his son is seemingly hanging on a thin thread. He was seen lashing at him in a viral video on social media earlier this year. In the video, Twala can be heard shouting at his son and calling him names for bringing the musician’s name into disrepute.
“I’ve always said that I wish he was the one that killed Senzo Meyiwa, so that he can rot in jail. I will never stand for this st. Bloody st. My name is destroyed. Everyone who sees Chicco Twala, they see a criminal. They see a druglord, they see all this st. I worked hard for my name, bloody st,” he can be heard shouting in the video.
“Senzo Meyiwa, stealing from people, drugs, and all of that, I can’t stand this s**t, you fucken bastard.”
Watch Chicco Twala hands over his son Longwe to Diepkloof Police Station for stealing. Ai this boy has been a problem lately. #LongweTwala pic.twitter.com/cMJwLh2dLN
— Musa Mathebula (@musamathebulaa) January 10, 2020
Also read: Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes at Pretoria High Court
Longwe Twala killed Meyiwa and ran off, court hears
‘Chicco offered to pay for Kelly’s vacation after Meyiwa’s murder’
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