Senzo Meyiwa trial: Witness grilled in court but maintains he was with accused on night of murder:
- A witness told the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria that he was with the five men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa on the day of the murder.
- According to the witness, they met at a hostel for a get-together and he even went to buy alcohol with two of them.
- But the accused denied that they had ever met the witness.
Despite the defence's best efforts discredit him, a State witness stuck to his testimony that he was with the five men accused of the murder of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa at a hostel in Vosloorus on the night of the murder.
Bongani Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli face charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.
On Monday, police officer, Constable Sizwe Zungu, was grilled by the lawyers representing the five accused.Zungu said his nephew, Gwabini, asked him to join him for a get-together at the hostel where he lived.
He arrived in the afternoon and, at some point, went to buy liquor with Mncube and Maphisa at a local liquor store.
While they were out to buy alcohol, three others – Zungu, Mncube and Maphisa – took photos together, the court heard. Some of the pictures they took were shown in court but were not clear. In one of the photos, only the hand and pants of someone could be seen. Zungu insisted that it was him in the picture.READ | Witness tells court Meyiwa's alleged killers 'looked nervous' on the night the Bafana Bafana star was killed
The pictures were among those downloaded from Mncube's phone after he was arrested in an unrelated case.
The State only included 46 of the downloaded pictures as exhibits in the case but the defence insisted that all 738 pictures should be downloaded and made available to them.
Mncube's advocate, Charles Mnisi, told Zungu that he was never with his client that night and said his testimony was hogwash and fabricated.
Mnisi asked Zungu about the make of the vehicle that was used to buy alcohol.
Zungu responded that it was a red Uno, but Mnisi put it to him that a red VW Polo Playa was used.ALSO READ | Senzo Meyiwa Trial: Defence claims state did not hand over all photos from accused's phone
Mnisi told Zungu that the alcohol was bought at Lesedi Shopping Centre. He put it to Zungu that the errors in Zungu's testimony showed that he was not with his client.
Zungu responded that the incident happened a while ago. He conceded he might have got the vehicle's make wrong, but he remembered vividly that it was very small and red. Mnisi told Zungu that his client denied ever meeting him and said he first saw him in September when he testified in court.
Zungu responded:Why would I come to lie in court, old as I am?
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng had to step in and remind the lawyers and the witness to maintain decorum in court. Mokgoatlheng told Mnisi there was acceptable court language that he could use.
The judge also called Zungu to order when he labelled the accused criminals and said he could not be friends with them because he was a police officer.
Mokgoatlheng asked Zungu to refrain from using language that assassinated the accused's character.
In another picture shown in court, Mnisi told Zungu that his instructions were that the people pictured were his client, Mncube, and his friend Maphisa. Zungu said he is not disputing that and said that is consistent with how he remembers Maphisa being dressed on the day. He had a cap on, Zungu said.READ MORE | 'I hope he will still be alive by Monday' – judge in Senzo Meyiwa case worried about witness
Maphisa's advocate, Zithulele Nxumalo, also maintained his client said he had never met Zungu before and had never partied with him.
Nxumalo questioned Zungu on the number of arrests he had made and Zungu responded that he had effected many arrests.
Nxumalo then asked him why he failed to arrest the accused if, as he said, he saw them holding guns.
But Mokgoatlheng intervened and reminded Nxumalo that Zungu was not obliged to respond to incriminating questions.
The trial continues.
