The Pretoria High Court heard on Thursday that Gladness Khumalo’s brother, Themba, was left at the scene where Senzo Meyiwa was killed.
He was told to lock up while two police officers rushed to the hospital to get more information about the shooting.
The state’s second witness, Sergeant Patrick Mthethwa from the Vooslorus police station, told the court that he responded to a call about “a shooting in progress” at the house on Kutloanong Street in the Mzamo Section of Vosloorus at about 8.55pm.
According to Mthethwa, the crime scene is about eight to 10 minutes away from the police station, which is about “five to seven kilometres away”.
He said he proceeded to the crime scene with a colleague, whom he described as Sergeant Mathebula. On the crime scene they found Themba, who identified himself as the brother of the owner of the house, “MaKhumalo” [Gladness] – who is singer, Kelly Khumalo’s mother.
Mthethwa asserted in court that they rushed to the Botshelong Hospital to get answers from “people who knew what happened”, because Themba would not explain what had transpired at the house.
According to Mthethwa, Themba said he was only told that there was a shooting and that the person who was shot had been rushed to the hospital.
The court heard that the house was guarded by Themba who was in possession of the key at the time. Mthethwa said Themba let them in, and they looked through the kitchen and sitting room which he described as an open plan.
Thereafter, they proceeded to the hospital, he said, noting that they advised Themba to lock the house.
According to Mthethwa, on their way to the hospital, they came across a BMW with two passengers. He said one of them was a lady, later identified as Kelly, who informed the police that Meyiwa had been shot and was at the hospital.
After identifying Meyiwa’s dead body, Mthethwa said they were introduced to Gladness who then agreed to travel back to the house with them and explain what had happened.
Upon arrival at the house, Mthethwa said he and his colleague Mathebula cordoned off the scene and went inside. In the kitchen they found a hat, said to belong to the perpetrators, a projectile, and a crutch.
Mthethwa told the court that they then called the client services centre to organise the relevant officials to attend to the crime scene.
However, he revealed that they did not speak to or travel with anyone else from the hospital except for Gladness. This contradicted the first witness and forensic officer Thabo Mosia’s testimony who said he was delayed in getting to the crime scene as he was not given the address.
Mosia explained in his testimony that instead he met with other police officers at the hospital, who then took him to the crime scene. According to Mthethwa, Mosia arrived at the scene shortly after the arrival of the task team.
Whether the crime scene, where the former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper died on the evening of October 26 2014, was compromised remains a mystery.
Earlier in the trial, advocated Malesela Teffo, who has been ousted after a couple of stunts, argued that the crime scene had been tampered with.
Teffo insisting that Meyiwa was already dead when he was transported to the hospital. According to Teffo, the removal of Meyiwa’s body constituted a contamination of the crime scene.
The trial continues…
Also read: Senzo Meyiwa trial: Forensic officer Mosia contradicts himself
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