Tuesday’s High Court proceedings in Pretoria brought about more twists in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, as the five accused suspects could not be linked to the crime scene through DNA evidence, according to evidence by a forensic analyst.
Furthermore, DNA of all five suspects were excluded from the hat found at the Vosloorus home where Meyiwa was shot on October 26, 2014.
Captain Mampshedi Masetla presented findings from DNA tests that were done on the five accused, Muzikawukhulelwa Sthemba Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli.
Out of 16 regions of DNA samples that were taken, none of the accused were included in all 16 regions.
Masetla indicated that no single region of DNA samples were more important than the next, but rather used all 16 to find matches.
“The quality of the sample plays a major factor and sometimes when the quality is low, you will not get a quality DNA sample,” Masetla told Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng.
Witness number 88 in the trial, Hendrik Mulder, a HR manager at Sibanye Gold, the former employer of accused number two, Bongani Ntaniuz, confirmed that Ntanzi was not at work the day Meyiwa was murdered.
Mulder provided clock-in information from Ntanzi’s access card, which showed when he was last on the Driefontein facility.
The day of the murder, which was a Sunday, was Ntanzi’s day off, Mulder explained.
Ntanzi also applied for unpaid leave for five days on the Monday after Meyiwa was gunned down at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus home on Sunday, October 26.
On Saturday, October 25, Ntanzi was due to work a four-hour shift, but only worked two hours. The records showed that Ntanzi left work just after 6am on Saturday morning.
This was the last time Sibanye recorded his clock-in records that month. The next time Ntanzi clocked in was on November 2, 2014.
Ntanzi’s bank records were also given to the court.
On Monday, Masetla told the court he took samples from all five accused and all those in the house the day of the shooting. DNA samples were derived at using blood, semen or hair samples.
Masetla said DNA evidence placed Meyiwa, MaKhumalo, and Zandi Khumalo at the crime scene. This was found on alcohol bottles and the bathroom door.
IOL