The late soccer player Senzo Meyiwa and Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng. Photos: Jacques Nelles and Gallo Images/ Phill Magakoe
Yet another police officer was grilled by defence lawyers as the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial continued at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Police officer Patrick Mthethwa took to the witness stand to offer his testimony.
Mthethwa, a key figure in the investigation, recounted the harrowing events of 26 October 2014, when the South African soccer star Meyiwa was shot and killed at the residence of his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s mother in Vosloorus.
ALSO READ: Senzo Meyiwa trial: Police witness ‘shooting blanks’ with firearm testimony?
Mthethwa was one of the first officers to arrive at the crime scene. The state prosecution sought to present evidence from witnesses who were at the crime scene to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the fateful night.
Mthethwa detailed the sequence of events that unfolded that night. He said he and his colleague arrived at the scene as Meyiwa was taken out of the house driven to the hospital.
Mthethwa recounted the moment when Themba Khumalo, the uncle of Kelly Khumalo, opened the kitchen door of the residence to grant them access.
Mthethwa said the first thing he saw was a bullet-riddled kitchen floor and what he described as “dots of blood”. He also noticed cans of alcohol and a crutch inside the house.
ALSO READ: ‘I don’t know what part Kelly Khumalo played in scuffle’: Madlala tells Senzo Meyiwa trial
Advocate Zandile Mshololo, who is representing one of five men accused of killing Meyiwa, however accused Mthethwa of leaving the crime scene unattended when he decided to go to the hospital.
Mthethwa was accused of being reckless and negligent in his duties.
Advocate Sipho Ramosepele, acting for two of the accused, asked Mthethwa if he took any steps to secure the evidence at the scene before he left the house. Mthethwa said “no”.
The witness also said “nothing informed us that something had happened in that house”.
Mshololo questioned how he determined that, knowing that he was sent to the scene after a shooting was reported to the police.
ALSO READ: ‘These dogs must be arrested’: Witness warned in Senzo Meyiwa trial