Defence lawyer in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Charles Mnisi told the court that accused Number 3, Mthobisi Mncube had no choice but to cooperate with police when he was arrested for a taxi violence case in 2015 because the police officer was “spitting venom”.
Mnisi said this when he was cross-examining the 10th witness Mandla Masondo who took the stand on Monday to give evidence in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
“Now as I am saying if the need arises. He will come and tell this court that you have correctly mentioned that he was very cooperative. He indeed had no choice but to cooperate with you because you were spitting venom,” said Mnisi.
But Masondo denied that he was “spitting venom” saying there would be no need to because Mncube was cooperating. But Mnisi insisted that Mncube was coerced to say what the police officer wanted to hear.
“Now as a result of the fact that you were spitting venom. In order to secure or save himself from the wrath that he would have encountered. He said things that you wanted him to say,” said Mnisi.
Masondo responded saying “no one was spitting venom” as they were just talking. When giving his testimony in court Masondo revealed that Mncube was arrested on 9 February 2015 for an Alexandra Township case related to taxi violence and he was also charged in Cleveland for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The police officer attached to the provincial taxi violence unit said he found a black 9mm Czech Republic pistol, 28 rounds of ammunition and a Samsung GT E2220 cellphone.
He said the serial number on the gun was filed off but he managed to recover the serial number and the gun belonged to a fidelity company in Centurion.
Mosondo said the cellphone was taken to the “war room” to be downloaded for further investigation. Meyiwa was shot and killed in 2014 in an alleged botched robbery while he was at his girlfriend’s home in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli are charged murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. All five accused have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
