Senzo Meyiwa trial: Claims, curse words and Kelly Khumalo

The first state witness in the long-awaited Senzo Meyiwa murder trial fielded sensational allegations this week from advocate Malesela Teffo, who at one point used the words “f***ed up situation” during cross-examination and claimed the killing had been solved.

Pretoria high court judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, who reprimanded him only the following day, chuckled quietly as defence lawyer Teffo accused police forensic officer Sgt Thabo Mosia of “doing your utmost best to be evasive and protect the whole ... f***ed up situation”.

This was but one of many moments where heads were shaken in court, by members of the public gallery and state prosecutor George Baloyi, who at times was visibly frustrated by Teffo's random allegations.

This while Teffo's social media star status continued to rise, with his name trending on Twitter as users recalled his Hollywood-style arrest in the same court on an unrelated matter straight after a previous Meyiwa hearing.

Teffo, representing four of the five accused in the murder of the Bafana Bafana captain, had a field day with his allegations: a police meeting to conceal evidence of the murder, the existence of two dockets, the body being removed from the scene, and the main headline-grabber: singer Kelly Khumalo shot Meyiwa by accident.

Teffo's colleague, defence attorney Zandile Mshololo added to the list: evidence was planted, and the crime scene was contaminated.

The accused, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli, often chatted excitedly among themselves during adjournments.

From admitting to making mistakes when collecting DNA evidence at the crime scene, to conceding that he might have left some crucial evidence behind, Mosia said it had been a challenging investigation. As the first forensic officer to arrive at the scene, he had to stop his work and wait for his seniors to assist.

He testified that eight pictures were taken on his first visit to the scene — and he spotted blood stains on the floor only on his second visit.

During cross-examination, Mshololo sifted through all the evidence Mosia had collected when he arrived at the scene, saying he had failed to gather crucial pieces.

But the big bombshell came from Teffo, who said Khumalo killed Meyiwa by mistake and a yet to be identified witness would testify to this. He claimed the gun that was used belonged to her sister's boyfriend, Longwe Twala. He also alleged Meyiwa died at the scene and was taken to hospital only to get his body to a mortuary.

Khumalo's lawyer, Magdalene Moonsamy, described the development as absurd.

“It is absurd because there has been many allegations levelled — she was accused of perjury, buying people to do something, now she is accused of pulling the trigger. I think that there must be some clarity in terms of what the defence's position is, because we don't understand what the defence's position is.

But we do know that there is no way that our client is in any way involved in the death of the father of her child who was three months old at the time, who loved her and they were in a very serious relationship,” she said.

Moonsamy said Teffo's allegations were malicious.

“My client has always availed herself to the NPA [National Prosecution Authority], to the police, to the court, she has been wanting her day in court to present her version, so there is absolutely no understanding as to why. She wants to give her version on the truth and her recollections of events that she has of what transpired.”

Meyiwa was gunned down in October 2014 in what was described as a botched robbery in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, in the presence of Khumalo, her mother Ntombi, her sister Zandi, her boyfriend Twala and Meyiwa's friends Mthokozisi Twala and Tumelo Madlala.

The five accused pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. 

The trial continues this week.