Senzo Meyiwa trial: ‘Crime scene was compromised’, state witness concedes

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The state’s first witness, forensic officer Sergeant Thabo Mosia, on Tuesday conceded under cross-examination by defence advocate Dan Teffo that the Senzo Meyiwa crime scene had been “compromised”.

Teffo accused Mosia of being “evasive”, and not answering questions because he had two versions in two separate affidavits he deposed of what happened on 26 October 2014, the night of Meyiwa’s murder. 

Reading from his handwritten sworn statement deposed in June 2019, Mosia told the Pretoria high court that there had been a roughly five-hour delay in processing forensic evidence from the estimated time the soccer player was shot to when he arrived at the Vosloorus, Gauteng, crime scene. 

“All the delays in dealing with the murder might have compromised the crime scene,” Mosia said.

He was being cross-examined in the trial of Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Ncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa — who are represented by Teffo — and Fisokuhle Ntuli, who is represented by advocate Zandile Mshololo. 

The five face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition, all of which they have pleaded not guilty to. 

Meyiwa was killed at the family home of his lover, Kelly Khumalo, in what the state alleges was a robbery gone wrong.

Mosia’s testimony on Tuesday contradicted what he had said on 29 April — that he had neither suspected nor observed any contamination of the crime scene. 

When Teffo asked on Tuesday whether Mosia had changed his mind about the crime scene being contaminated or compromised, he replied that “compromised” and “contaminated” did not mean the same thing. 

“No, I don’t have any change of mind regarding the crime scene, my lord. I think, to my understanding, whenever I was mentioning compromise — according to me, compromise is a disturbance that might arise on the crime scene, not deliberately,” Mosia said.

“You are being evasive … You are trying to think on your feet to get a scapegoat. I, therefore, put it to you that you are a witness that cannot be trusted,” Teffo asserted.

Teffo also refuted Mosia’s contention that Meyiwa was driven to the Botshelong Private Hospital in Vosloorus, Gauteng, by Khumalo to save his life. 

“What you’re saying, that they [the five surviving adults who were with Meyiwa when he was shot] took him to the hospital to save him — in fact they took him to the hospital to dump him there,” charged Teffo.

The Tuesday morning court session became heated, with Teffo labelling state prosecutor George Baloyi a “fanatic” because of his repeated objections to what he called Teffo’s unfair line of questioning.

Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela intervened, and Teffo withdrew his statement about Baloyi being a fanatic. 

The trial continues.