The defence lawyer in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Advocate Zandile Mshololo is adamant that the crime scene was contaminated citing that police officers who responded were “reckless and ignorant”.
The 12th witness, Sergeant Mlungisi Mthethwa took the stand at the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday to give evidence about what transpired on the fateful night on 26 October 2014 in Vosloorus where Meyiwa was shot and killed allegedly by two intruders in what was said was a robbery gone wrong.
Mthethwa is among the first police officers to respond to a complaint that came through radio control about the shooting incident at Vosloorus.
During cross examination Mshololo said the police officers had a responsibility to protect the crime scene from tampering.
“Your duty there was to protect and safeguard the crime scene regardless of having any knowledge of a relationship between the people who were inside the house. But to prevent anyone from accessing the crime scenes,” said Mshololo
Mthethwa agreed that police had to protect the crime scene.
“And that was my duty as the police officer to make sure that the crime scene is not accessed”.
“By any other people including Mr Themba Khumalo,” added Mshololo
This comes after Mthethwa said in his evidence-in-chief that when they arrived at the Vosloorus house they found singer Kelly Khumalo’s uncle Themba Khumalo who had the house keys.
Mthethwa said Themba informed them that he didn’t know what happened and his sister Gladness Khumalo was at Botshelong Hospital and she is the one with information. But Mashololo was relentless and asked Mthethwa why the keys were not taken from Themba and the house cordoned off.
“It was within your power as the SAPS, after seeing inside that there are exhibits inside there to say give us the house keys. We are now going to take control of this house as police officers,” said Mshololo.
Mthethwa said they couldn’t cordone off the crime scene without full information about what happened in the house.
“When we entered the house with the Khumalo gentleman. He didn’t inform us that something had happened in that house,” said Mthethwa.
Mshololo pressed on and said police had received reports upon leaving the station about the shooting incident. Mthethwa said they needed information about what happened before doing anything at the crime scene. However Mshololo was relentless and insisted that they handled the crime scene poorly.
“Mr Mthethwa I put it to you that you were reckless and ignorant in not safeguarding the crime scene after you had received your report that there had been a shooting incident,” said Mshololo
Mthethwa told court that they went to Botshelong Hospital first where they fetched MaKhumalo and when they returned that was when they cordoned off the crime scene.
The trial continues.
