Pretoria - In an effort to prove that there were no intruders when Senzo Meyiwa was gunned down, advocate Tshepo Thobane, who represents four of the five men accused of the murder, told the court he will bring a witness who will testify that there was an argument in the house before the soccer star was killed and it was one of the people in the house who killed him.
Thobane made this statement in the North Gauteng High Court while cross-examining Meyiwa’s friend, Tumelo Madlala. Madlala was also present at the house when Meyiwa was shot.
Thobane put it to Madlala that there was no intruder as he had stated in his testimony, instead, people who were in the house got into an argument which led to Meyiwa being shot by mistake.
"I put it to you that no intruders in the house,“ Thobane said to Madlala, which he denied.
Thobane added that his witness does not live far from the Khumalo family home.
“The witness even took measurements of the distance between the two yards,” he said.
"I don't know the witness, but they can come and testify," Madlala said.
Thobane’s theory is that Meyiwa was having a sexual relationship with Zandile Khumalo, the sister of Kelly Khumalo, his girlfriend and the mother of his child.
According to Thobane, on the day of the shooting, Longwe Thwala who was dating Zandile, came to the house upset that Meyiwa was sleeping with his girlfriend.
“I put it to you that Longwe came in the house, upset,” Thobane said.
“If he was someone I knew very well, I would know if he was upset or not ... but I was not familiar with him, so I don’t know,” Madlala responded.
“There was an argument between Kelly, Zandi, Longwe and Senzo, that is when the gunshot went off,” said Thobane.
“Those are lies,” replied Madlala.
Thobane also mentioned that Madlala called Sifiso Meyiwa, Senzo’s brother and told him that Senzo has been shot by mistake.
“Yes, I called Sifiso but never mentioned anything about a mistake,” Madlala said.
Meyiwa was killed at Kelly’s home in Vosloorus on October 26, 2014.
In the house that day were Meyiwa, Kelly and Zandile, their mother Ntombi Khumalo (MaKhumalo), Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, Kelly’s then four-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.
Five men, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifokuhle Ntuli, are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
All of the accused have pleaded not guilty.
The trial continues on Friday.
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