The five people on trial — Ncube, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthokozisi Maphisa, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya 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. (Gallo Images/OJ Koloti)
The bullet recovered from the house where football player Senzo Meyiwa was murdered was fired from the gun confiscated from accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube, ballistic expert Lieutenant Colonel Christian Mangena told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday.
Mangena, who also reconstructed the Oscar Pistorius murder scene in 2013, said he went to the Khumalo house in Vosloorus, Gauteng — where the Bafana Bafana captain was shot in what the state believes was a botched robbery — on Monday, 27 October 2014. Meyiwa was killed the previous day.
He testified that the test bullets fired from a 9mm parabellum pistol taken from Mncube in 2015 matched the bullet found in the kitchen of the Khumalo house by Colonel Thobeka Mhlahlo.
He said his reconstruction of the scene showed that two shots were fired in the house. The first shot hit the tiled floor at a 90 degree angle and anyone nearby could have been hit by a bullet fragment.
The second bullet, which was fired in a downward trajectory, pierced Meyiwa’s body, hit the kitchen door and bounced onto the kitchen counter.
The first state witness, Zandile Khumalo, has previously testified that she felt sparks on her ankle after the first shot went off.
Mangena said when the five accused — Mthokozisi Mncube, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthokozisi Maphisa, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya and Fisokuhle Ntuli — were arrested in 2020, he was called by the investigating officer, Brigadier Bongani Gininda, to test their height to see if they were the shooters and also to check for scars on their legs.
“I was called by Brigadier Gininda on 1 June 2020, who said he had a person of interest, which was accused number one, Sibiya,” Mangena said.
On 17 June he was called to check accused number two, Ntanzi.
Mangena said: “On 30 June 2020, I was called for the same exercise on accused three, Mncube. I asked him to take his shoes and socks for marks on his legs for possible bullet fragment scars.”
He then said Mncube told him he used to play football and the scars he was looking for could be from his childhood.
“I had not yet told him what I was looking for and when he gave me that explanation. I sensed this could be a person of interest because otherwise how would he have known what I was looking for,” said Mangena.
Mangena told the court he did not find any bullet fragment scars on Mncube.
Accused number five, Ntuli, refused to be examined by Mangena on 1 July 2020.
The murder trial started from scratch on 17 July, with Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng replacing Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela after the latter was suspended for misconduct for failing to deliver judgments within a reasonable period.
The five people on trial have pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition.