The trial surrounding the murder of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa took an unexpected turn on Friday, 25 August 2023, as questions arose about the handling of the firearm allegedly linked to his killing.
Senzo Meyiwa trial: State witness reveals murder weapon might not have been sealed
The defence has raised concerns that the gun, a crucial piece of evidence, might not have been properly secured in police custody, leading to speculation that it could have been tampered with.
Captain Bonginkosi Mtshali, an exhibit manager at Cleveland police station, was the latest state witness to testify in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
He revealed that the gun in question, found in the possession of accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube, might not have been sealed when it was stored at the police station.
Mtshali emphasised that he would not have accepted an unsealed firearm in the storage unit and that the department performing ballistics tests would not have tested an unsealed gun.
The firearm, allegedly used in the murder of both Senzo Meyiwa and taxi boss Reggie Mohlala, had been booked out several times by different police officers in 2015.
However, it wasn’t booked out again for over four years until it was requested for further ballistics testing in 2020. During cross-examination, Mtshali confirmed that when he handed the exhibit bag containing the firearm to Captain Christian Mangena for testing, it was sealed.
Advocate Charles Mnisi, representing Mncube, suggested that there might have been opportunities for the firearm to be swapped or tampered with while in storage.
Mtshali refrained from commenting on this possibility. Similarly, Advocate Zandile Mshololo, representing accused number five, Fisokuhle Ntuli, questioned the consistency of the firearm’s custody, prompting Mtshali to assert that he wouldn’t comment due to not working at the storage for a period of time.
Mncube is already serving a lengthy sentence for the murder of taxi boss Reggie Mohlala, with the same firearm reportedly being used in both murders.
Meanwhile, Fisokuhle Ntuli, accused number five, has previously been convicted of six murders in KwaZulu-Natal and received multiple life sentences.
