Top cop Brigadier Bongani Gininda has told the court that there was evidence alleging that Kelly Khumalo was central to Senzo Meyiwa’s murder.
Gininda said this while he was being cross-examined by advocate Zandile Mshololo, the defence lawyer representing the fifth accused, Fisokuhle Ntuli, in the Meyiwa murder case.
Mshololo started a fresh cross-examination before the Pretoria High Court on Friday.
Said Mshololo: “Accused number five will further deny that he discussed and planned together with all the accused that are before this court the killing of the deceased at Basotho hostel on the 26 of October 2014, as it has been said before this court.”
Gininda responded: “My lord, that is not what the evidence revealed, because the evidence revealed that there was a meeting on the day the deceased was killed at the hostel.
“They left together; the deceased was killed, and they went back to the said hostel. That is in exhibits HH and JJ.
“What you also find in exhibit JJ, allegations are made that the trigger point of this whole thing is Miss Kelly Khumalo.
“In support of this is a communication that was picked up by the cellphone analyst with regard to the calls that were made that link the accused five and Miss Kelly Khumalo.”
Mshololo’s cross-examination came after lawyer Zithulele Nxumalo for accused number four concluded his cross-examination of Gininda, the primary investigator in the case.
Career profile
Gininda, who has practised his trade at the SA Police Service for over 30 years, has worked in a number of divisions.
“I was also a commander at the national head office of a unit that dealt with the taxi violence, but I was sent to the provincial office, where I did some further investigations on high-profile cases.
“In 2021, I was promoted to the rank of brigadier as the national head of the cold case unit,” he said.
Mshololo zoomed in to the vehicle that is said to have been used by the suspects in the case as a getaway car from Vosloorus after Meyiwa was shot.
She asked Gininda to share what their investigations revealed with regards to the car. He revealed that the accused drove in a grey VW Polo, which was driven by Ntuli.
“I do not have information of a car with a specific registration; what is contained in the docket is the description of the car on the date of October 26, 2014, when this offence was committed. It refers to a VW Polo, grey in colour, which was driven by accused number five,” Gininda responded.
He added that Ntuli had been using shuttle services to rent cars, though they were unable to find a particular day in 2014 when Ntuli hired one.
Gininda claims that although Bonokama Shuttle Services confirmed renting out one of their cars to Ntuli, they were unable to access the 2014 records due to the company’s liquidation.
However, Mshololo said her client, Ntuli, never drove a Polo, which was described by Gininda on October 26 2014 at Basotho hostel.
Meyiwa was murdered on October 26, 2014, while paying singer and lover Khumalo a visit at her Vosloorus home.
Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa, Ntuli, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, and Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi are the five suspects in the Meyiwa murder trial.
The trial is still ongoing.
