Zandile Khumalo, the sister of the late Senzo Meyiwa’s girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo. (Instagram/ZandileKhumalo)
The evidence on Wednesday of the state’s third witness, Nthabiseng Pertunia Mokete, of what happened when Senzo Meyiwa was killed in October 2014 contradicted that of the first state witness, Zandile Khumalo.
During cross-examination by defence advocate Sipho Ramosepele, representing Bongani Ntanzi and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mokete told the court that on the night the Bafana Bafana captain was killed, she was in a car parked outside her sister’s house opposite the home of the second state witness, Khaya Ngcatshe, who finished his testimony earlier on Wednesday.
Mokete said Khumalo rushed up to her car screaming for help and urging them to call an ambulance because Meyiwa had been shot.
Ramoselepe pointed out that what Mokete told the court was not what Khumalo had said.
In her testimony, Khumalo said that after Meyiwa was shot, she went to the home of her mother’s best friend, Maggie Phiri, to ask for help, because she could not ask Mokete as they were not close.
In response, Mokete said she cannot answer for Khumalo.
“What I remember is that I was with Zandile Khumalo and we all went together to maPhiri’s (Maggie Phiri’s) house,” she said.
Ramosepele pointed out other contradictions in the evidence of the two witnesses. She said Khumalo had testified that Mokete was only called to Phiri’s house after she [Khumalo] had arrived there and that after Mokete was told about the shooting, she had panicked and cried together with Phiri.
Mokete responded: “I do not remember crying when I was with Zandi and maPhiri and how could she have called me when I was with her?”
Mokete also told the court that she saw three people run from near the Khumalo house towards the park down the road, emphasising that she could not see where they came from.
Although Mokete said she did not know the identity of the first person she saw running past, her description of one of the runners was consistent with Khumalo’s description of one of the intruders.
“He was tall, lean and had dreadlocks,” Mokete said.
The trial started afresh last week with a new judge, Ratha Mokgoatlheng, replacing Tshifhiwa Maumela, who was suspended for misconduct for failing to deliver judgments timeously.
The five people on trial — Mthokozisi Maphisa, Sibiya, Ntanzi, Mthobisi Ncube and Fisokuhle Ntuli — have pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition.