Lawyer questions credibility of ballistics expert findings as alleged calls between singer Kelly Khumalo and one of the accused again come under scrutiny in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial

Former national soccer team and Orlando Pirates FC captain and goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, on October 26, 2014

Meyiwa, 27, was killed at the home of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo where he was visiting in company of two close friends Tumelo Madlala and Mthokozisi Twala

Present in the house during the murder were Khumalo, her sister Zandile, their mother Gladness, and Zandile’s boyfriend Longwe Twala

Five male suspects charged include Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli

They are charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a license

Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli – The men accused of murdering Senzo Meyiwa, in 2014, during a home invasion have plead not guilty to all the charge. Suspects were arrested in 2020, six years after

On Thursday, advocate Charles Mnisi cast doubt on the veracity of the conclusions reached by Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Mangena, the state ballistics expert.
27-year-old pro soccer player Senzo Meyiwa, the former goalkeeper of South Africa’s national soccer team, aka Bafana Bafana, was also captain of South Africa’s top soccer club, Orlando Pirates.
He was shot and killed during a home invasion robbery at the home of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, on October 26, 2014.

South African pro soccer player, Senzo Meyiwa, was shot dead during a home invasion at the home of his popstar girl friend in 2014. The trial of the five men indicted is ongoing

According to the state indictment, Meyiwa was shot once in the chest while in a standing position, and the bullet went through his chest and exited his back, hitting the back of the door behind him.
The cause of death was determined to be a bullet that hit his heart and lung.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a license, and possession of ammunition.
The prosecution alleges that two of the suspects, Sibiya and Ntanzi, confessed to their part in the crime, implicating Meyiwa’s girlfriend and host on the night, South African singer, actress, and television personality, Kelly Nonhlanhla Khumalo.
Despite those allegations, Khumalo, 39, has never been indicted in the case.. 

Senzo Meyiwa was killed in the home of his girlfriend, South African singer, actress, Kelly Nonhlanhla Khumalo [photo]. There have been allegations that she ordered the hit on Meyiwa, but she never been indicted

While the two suspects since have recanted their statements citing police duress. Both men claim they were assaulted, threatened and tortured to make those confessions.
However, after a ruling by Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng in March, that the confessions signed by Ntanzi and Sibiya, were made freely and voluntarily, the court heard the confessions for the first time after they were admitted into evidence.
The other accused persons have maintained their innocence, denying all charges.
The protracted court saga took a different turn on Wednesday at the Pretoria High Court, as both sides argued over ballistics and the veracity of the alleged murder weapon.
The defense attorney for alleged shooter, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, stated during cross-examination of the state’s ballistics expert Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Mangena, as he told the court, that the contering testimony of the ballistics expert called by defense would show that the weapon recovered during an unrelated search of his client’s residence cannot be connected to the murder.
Mangena during his testimony on this crucial piece of evidence a year ago, told the court that the gun found on Mncube when he was arrested in 2015 for a separate matter is the same weapon used in the pro athlete’s murder.

Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, [left], and Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, [right], both recanted their prior confessions citing duress by arresting officers. They are on trial with three other co-defendants in the murder of Senzo Meyiwa, seven years ago

Lt. Mangena said he was able to determine this after examining the projectile found on the kitchen counter at the crime scene and test bullets fired from the gun found in Mncube’s possession.
Sticking by his testimony the state expert witness stated that he conducted tests on weapon by firing eight bullets. All results were conclusive that Mncube’s firearm matched the bullet found at the crime scene where Meyiwa was killed. As a control measure, four of his colleagues, fact checked those results and agreed with his findings.
Meyiwa was shot dead at the home of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumal on October 26, 2014.
Present in the house during the murder were Khumalo, her sister Zandile, their mother Gladness, Zandile’s boyfriend Longwe Twala.
Two close friends Tumelo Madlala and Mthokozisi Twala who accompanied Meyiwa to Khumalo’s home were also present. No one else was harmed. 
Nearly seven years after the killing, police in a January 2024, court hearing, announced they have linked four of the men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa to his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo.
Investigators said two suspects in the murder were connected to Khumalo via sworn confession statements they allegedly made to police, while the other two were linked via cellphone evidence.

The five on trial in the murder of Senzo Meyiwa, in court in Pretoria, SA. Police claim two suspect have been liked to victim’s girlfriend and admitted she hired them for the ‘hit’. The pair however, have recanted, claiming the statements were made under duress

Brig Bongani Gininda, the lead investigator in the Meyiwa murder case, testified in the Pretoria high court back in January, the first-time police directly placed before court evidence implicating Khumalo in the murder case – that Muzi Sibiya and Bongani Ntanzi had previously implicated Khumalo as the person who ordered the hit on her boyfriend in 2014.
Reading his affidavit in court, Gininda said Sibiya was first linked to the murder through witness statements under oath and circumstantial evidence boasted to individuals closely associated with him in KZN as to his involvement in the murder with other accused.
When a dispute broke out the individuals ratted out their former associate to authorities.
He was further linked through his formal confession to the commissioned independent officer on May 30, 2020.
In the alleged confession, Sibiya implicates Khumalo as the person who gave them the instruction to kill Meyiwa. The suspect went further to reenact the scene and how the incident unfolded.
While Sibiya maintains he was not the shooter, he accurately indicated Meyiwa was shot in the chest.
Ntanzi, who was identified as the second intruder with a hoodie, police allege, also similarly implicated Meyiwa’s girlfriend in the murder.
Brig. Gininda describes how, alleged trigger man, Mthobisi Mncube, and a fourth suspect, Fisokuhle Ntuli, were linked to Khumalo through cellphone evidence.
Khumalo failed to disclose four cellphone numbers to investigators, but those phone numbers were uncovered during forensic examination of her phone, leading to unearthing communication between Khumalo and murder suspects, Mncube and Ntuli.
“It was further discovered that through cellphone analysis her, [Khumalo’s], cellphone memory album has the same photo of a see-through bag containing cash notes and in the exact position or location of that of Mncube’s,” Gininda said.
“There is no reasonable explanation as to why Kelly [Khumalo] will be in contact telephonically with a hitman or killers of her boyfriend and share the same picture of a bag full of money.”
He said police were able to connect the numbers to Khumalo via her activities. According to the police it was through one of the numbers that the connections with at least two of the hitmen had taken place.

Innocent Or Not?: According to police court testimony, phone forensics showed that Kelly Khumalo was linked to the killers through through cellphone linkages, connecting her two suspects, Mncube and Ntuli

Going back to July 2023, police cellphone data analyst Col Lambertus Steyn testified that Ntuli called Kelly Khumalo just weeks before Meyiwa was murdered in her home.
Ntuli’s lawyer, Adv Zandile Mshololo, countered that Steyn never verified from the service provider that the number Ntuli allegedly used really belonged to him.
Gininda said police had evidence that the murder of Meyiwa was planned in Vosloorus at a hostel and following the crime cellphones of the accused were traced back to the hostel.
Meyiwa was shot and killed at Khumalo home in Vosloorus in the presence of Kelly’s sister Zandile, her mother Ntombi, Longwe Twala and two of Meyiwa’s friends.
Gininda further said Khumalo in the conversations with her sister Zandi showed that she hated Meyiwa and wanted to get rid of him as early as 2013.
“It is clear that she hated him and wanted to get rid of him. She further states that she regrets not succeeding in getting rid of him before. Taking into account all these facts, an inference can be drawn that she meant killing him. Cellphone records show that after the incident took place, she phoned a number of people from her phone but no call was made to emergency services,” he said.
Khumalo also allegedly went to a witchdoctor for cleansing after Meyiwa’s death.
“Evidence through sworn corroborating evidence established a causal link between the offenders and the offenses of murder, robbery and aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition and conspiracy to commit murder. Kelly Khumalo seems to be the trigger point of this murder,” Gininda said.