A second witness has claimed that forensic officer Thabo Mosia was not truthful in testimony
There was no four-hour delay in reporting the shooting that killed footballer Senzo Meyiwa, and the state’s first witness, Sergeant Thabo Mosia, was not truthful when he testified to this.
This was the contention made on Friday by Sergeant Mlungisi Mthethwa, the state’s second witness, who also reiterated his Thursday testimony that Mosia was not being honest about arriving at the crime scene at 00:20am, the morning after Meyiwa was murdered.
Mthethwa was testifying at the Pretoria high court.
Mosia is a forensic officer, who testified that he collected the physical evidence at the Vosloorus, Gauteng, scene of Meyiwa’s murder. Mthethwa, who is stationed at the Vosloorus police station, said he was part of the first officers on the scene at around 9pm on 26 October 2014.
Meyiwa was fatally shot by what the state alleges were armed intruders at the Vosloorus family home of his then girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo.
On Thursday, Mthethwa had testified that he received a call at around 8.53pm in October 2014 to attend to a “shooting in progress” at the Khumalo family home, and that he deposed a statement, which was commissioned at 10pm, on his actions at the scene.
On Friday, Mthethwa altered his testimony, saying that, in fact, he had started writing his statement at 10pm and completed it before 11pm.
Mthethwa was adamant, however, that Mosia had arrived at the scene at the time of the affidavit’s commissioning, which was contrary to what Mosia had written in his October 2014 statement, and testified to during the trial.
Mthethwa also reiterated his version that Mosia arrived before Brigadier Philani Ndlovu, Gauteng’s former head of detectives, after Mosia had claimed during his testimony that Ndlovu arrived before him, welcomed him at the scene and briefed Mosia about the crime’s details.
“According to us, Mosia arrived first, and then Brigadier Ndlovu arrived afterwards. I don’t know where he [Mosia] got it from that Ndlovu arrived first,” Mthethwa testified.
Mthethwa added that he was with his colleague, a Sergeant Mathebula, when Mosia arrived on the scene.
Mthethwa further disputed that there was a four-hour delay before Mosia was called to the scene, which Mosia said was “compromised” by the tardiness in assigning him the Meyiwa case.
“All the delays before reporting the matter to the relevant people might have compromised the crime scene,” reads part of Mosia’s June 2019 supplementary statement, which was read out in court by advocate Zandile Mshololo.
Mshololo represents the fifth accused Fisokuhle Ntuli. The first four accused — Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Ncube and Mthokoziseni Maphisa — are represented by attorney TT Thobane.
Mthethwa, who was responding to Mshololo during cross examination, said on the alleged four-hour delay: “I disagree with Mosia.”
On the scene being compromised because of the delays, Mthethwa said: “I know nothing about this. Let me not comment.”
Mthethwa concluded his testimony on Friday, and the state, on Monday, is expected to call the first witness who was inside the house when Meyiwa was killed.
The five accused — who face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition, to which they have pleaded not guilty — are remanded in custody.