I saw three men running after Senzo Meyiwa was shot, witness tells court

Five men accused of murdering Senzo Meyiwa appearing at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency(ANA)

Five men accused of murdering Senzo Meyiwa appearing at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Jul 26, 2023

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A witness told the North Gauteng High Court, in Pretoria that she saw three men running separately after the shooting of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa.

Nthabiseng Mokete was the State’s third witness to tell the court about events that unfolded when the soccer star was brutally killed in 2014.

Mokete lived a few houses away from the Khumalo house.

She said it was about 8pm when she was sitting in a car with a friend outside her home when the shooting happened.

Mokete said they heard the first gunshot but were unclear where it came from.

After the shot, a tall and slim man went past their car running towards the park. She said she only saw his back and did not pay attention to his clothing.

As it was unclear what was happening, she said they argued about the sound and whether it was a gun or not.

While arguing, she said two more shots were fired seconds apart.

“While we were arguing, the sound of a gunshot went off again and this time it sounded like it was close to the vehicle. After that, two men ran past, heading in the same direction as the first one,” she said.

She explained that the third shot was fired immediately after they had seen two men running.

During cross-examination, Mokete told advocate Sipho Ramosepele that she didn’t see where the men came from.

Ramosepele represents two of the five men accused of killing Meyiwa during a botched robbery.

Ramosepele asked about the time lapse between the first shot and the following two shots.

“I can’t quite remember, but it wasn’t necessarily after seconds, it was about 15 minutes. I’m not entirely sure; it could have been 10 to 15 minutes between the first and the second shot,” she said.

When describing the men, Mokete said she didn’t see their faces, but she remembers that the first man was tall and slim, the last two men were average height, and one had dreadlocks.

Meyiwa was brutally murdered while visiting his girlfriend and mother of his child, Kelly Khumalo, at her home in Vosloorus in October 2014.

In the house that day were Meyiwa, Kelly Khumalo and her younger sister, Zandile, their mother, Ntombi Khumalo, Longwe Twala; Meyiwa’s friends, Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, Kelly’s then four-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.

The trial continues.

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