The 13th witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Timothy Mathebula revealed that Kelly Khumalo’s mother Gladness picked up a hat allegedly worn by one of the intruders and she showed it to the police.
The contamination of the crime scene dominated Mathebula’s cross-examination as he pieced together how they handled the crime scene where Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed.
The defence lawyer in the case, Zandile Mshololo quizzed Mathebula on the possible contamination of the crime scene .
“Did you say MaKhumalo picked up the hat or she pointed out the hat?” asked Mshololo.
“She picked it up and said it was worn by the suspects and we said,no put it down,” came the response from Mathebula.
Mshololo further asked if Mathebula included in his statement that MaKhumalo touched the hat and if the police found anything else on the kitchen cupboard and Mathubula said nothing else was found.
But during re-examination another defence lawyer George Baloyi asked Mathebula at what point did it occur to him that the Vosloorus house where Meyiwa was killed was a crime scene.
“Can you indicate at what point did it occur to you that this was a crime scene,” asked Baloyi.
Mathebula said: “It clicked when I saw Senzo facing upwards that hey that was indeed a crime scene”.
Mathebula and police officers Sergeant Mlungisi Mthethwa were the first responders at the Vosloorus house after Meyiwa was killed.
But they both admitted that they cordoned off the crime scene only after returning from Botshelong Hospital where they were fetching MaKhumalo because they needed people who had information about what transpired in the house.
