Pretoria - Counsel for Sifisokuhle Ntuli, the fifth accused in the Meyiwa murder trial, advocate Zandile Mshololo, has questioned State witness Tumelo Madlala, the slain footballer’s best friend, on why the police were not immediately called to the scene during the alleged robbery.
Madlala’s evidence is that there were two armed intruders who arrived at the Khumalo homestead in Vosloorus, Gauteng, and robbed the house occupants before fatally shooting Meyiwa.
Madlala has told the court that during the alleged robbery, a gunshot went off, he fled into a bedroom, leaving Senzo struggling with an intruder.
The court heard that the bedroom door automatically locked when Madlala closed it, and someone had to open it for him after the incident.
Defence counsel for five men accused of killing Meyiwa has strongly disputed Madlala’s version, insisting that there was no robbery at all and that Meyiwa was killed by one of the people he was with in the Meyiwa household.
The defence counsel of the five men accused of Meyiwa’s death alleges that Madlala is part of a massive cover-up which began shortly after Meyiwa was murdered on 26 October 2014.
On Thursday, Mshololo asked Madlala to tell the court why he did not call the police to the Khumalo homestead when he was relatively safe in the locked room.
Madlala told the court that he doesn’t recall the number of shots fired in the house, but his ears were affected by the first gunshot, and he ran into the bedroom.
“I would be lying if I tell you how many shots were fired. I did not count (the number of shots). The first shot caused my ears to be somehow blocked, that is why I ran into the bedroom. As to what transpired after I left, I cannot tell,” said Madlala.
Mshololo then asked Madlala to tell the court if he had his cellphone when he hid in the bedroom.
Madlala responded: “Yes, I had my cellphone with me. I hid it in blankets because when one enters that bedroom, there were blankets on the right-hand side. I inserted the cellphone there, hiding it”.
Mshololo quizzed further: “Why didn’t you call the police to report that there is a robbery or there is shooting inside this house. You were now inside the bedroom and had closed the door that time”.
Madlala said he was not thinking straight.
“It did not cross my mind that time. It is easy for you to say when an incident happened to someone. When something is happening to you, your mind freezes. You cannot think about doing such things. All I thought about was survival or dying,” said Madlala.
He said he also thinks Longwe Twala did not call the police when he ran out of the house during the incident.
“I think he did not. I (later) asked him why he ran out of the house, and he said he was going to get back up,” said Madlala.
Asked if any backup arrived with Twala, Madlala said he did not see it.
“What backup was he referring to? Did you see any backup?” Mshololo asked.
Madlala said there was no backup which came.
Madlala was accused of lying to the court in his submission that two intruders came into the house and fatally shot the footballer.
Mshololo questioned Madlala over his statement to police that during the armed robbery, Longwe Twala had confronted the intruder, who was wielding a pistol and demanding phones from the house occupants.
“For a person who is not armed, to go straight (and attack the intruder) … you said you could not even look at the armed intruder.
“You slightly looked at him because you were scared. Another person stands up and goes straight to the person who is armed, Mr Madlala?” Mshololo questioned Madlala.
“He (the intruder) had a gun. You say Mr Longwe (Twala) ran to that person. That is not possible, Mr Tumelo. It never happened like that. It is unbelievable.”
The witness responded: “Yes, it is unbelievable. I even asked him one day, ‘how did you attack an armed person?’ The questions that you are asking me, I am still asking myself today, that how was that possible?”
Mshololo put it to Madlala that “there was no intruder at any stage in that house”.
Five men – Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifokuhle Ntuli – are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm as well as possession of ammunition.
All of the five accused have pleaded not guilty.
Meyiwa was killed on October 26, 2014, while in the company of his girlfriend and the mother of his child, Kelly Khumalo.
In the house that day were Meyiwa, Kelly Khumalo and her younger sister, Zandile, their mother Ntombi Khumalo, Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Madlala, Kelly’s then 4-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, her daughter with Meyiwa.
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