Tumelo Madlala told the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria how he went into the room where former Orlando Pirates guard Senzo Meyiwa was being held after he was pronounced dead and asked him: “Senzo, this is what made me come to Joburg ?”
Madlala told the court on Tuesday that Meyiwa had sent him money the day before for him to travel to Johannesburg the next day, where he was picked up by Meyiwa, Kelly Khumalo, Zandi Khumalo and Mtakazisi Twala in Spruitview at around 5pm on the fateful Sunday.
A few hours later, Madlala was at Botshelong Hospital, crying next to Meyiwa’s lifeless body.
He says when they arrived at the hospital, Meyiwa was taken away on a stretcher while they remained in the waiting area of ​​the hospital before a nurse returned to inform them that the late former custodian of Bafana Bafana was no more.
After a while, the nurse came back with what looked like an X-ray. Then she asked for an older person among us, and Kelly’s mother left. Then she came back trying and told us this #SenzoMeyiwa there was no more.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial
– Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 14, 2022
He says that’s when he kissed Mayiwa on the forehead while Kelly was taking the watch off his hand.
Madlala: The nurse wanted us out. I kissed his forehead and then Kelly took off her watch.
They then took us back to the waiting room, which by then was already packed. Mandisa, Senzo’s wife, and the players were already there. #SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa
– Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 14, 2022
Madlala says that by this point there were already many people who had come to the hospital, including Senzo’s wife, Mandisa, as well as his Orlando Pirates teammates.
An argument began between Mandisa and Kelly that turned physical.
Madlala: After that, there was chaos at the hospital entrance. I don’t know if Mandisa and Kelly fought, but there was even hair on the floor. #SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa
– Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 14, 2022
Judge: Was that hair or a wig?
Madlala: I don’t know if it was Mandisa, but there was hair on the floor.
Interpreter: Was it the hair?
I don’t know how to explain it. He was dragged. Braids.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa
– Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 14, 2022
The amount of blood that came from Senzo Meyiwa’s gunshot wound was called into question in court on Wednesday.
At the start of the trial, Madlala told the court that no blood was flowing from the wound when he found Meyiwa lying on her left side in the living room after leaving the bedroom he had entered for safety when the gun went off.
However, he later told the court he was given a facial tissue to apply pressure to the gunshot wound as they drove to hospital because there was a lot of blood and the newspapers they kept in the car had blood on them.
It is expected to be a key point for the defense during cross-examination after statements read from two previous witnesses, Thabo Mosiah and Patrick Mthethwa, suggested there was water on the floor when neighbor Maggie Phiri was cleaning up the crime scene.
Mosiah admitted in court that he never looked for blood in the car during his visit to the scene, and both witnesses testified that they saw blood spatter on the floor of the house.
Madlala told the court that when he came out of the bedroom to find everyone shouting Meyiwa’s name, people he believed to be neighbors were already there and they helped them carry the former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper to the car.
The defendants sit motionless on the dock, focused on witness testimony, only occasionally muttering to each other.
“One day we loaded it into the car Kelly was driving. I remember Zandi warning her not to run into the lying shelves.’#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa
– Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 14, 2022
The trial continues.
