The legal counsel for the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial (from left): Advocate Sipho Ramosepele, advocate Charles Mnisi, advocate Zandile Mshololo and advocate Zithulele Nxumalo. File picture: Oupa Mokoena, African News Agency (ANA)
A POLICE officer who testified that he saw two of the five men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa carrying guns, has come under scrutiny after the defence asked him why he didn’t report the information to the police.
Constable Sizwe Zungu was under cross-examination in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
According to his testimony, he was with the five accused on October 26, 2014.
He said he was visiting his nephew, Sfiso Zungu, at Basotho hostel in Vosloorus when he was introduced to the accused.
He also testified that on the night of the murder, three of the accused came running to the house, looking scared and carrying two guns.
He said this was Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, and Mthobisi Mncube.
He said Sibiya and Mncube gave their guns to his nephew for safekeeping.
Ntanzi was not carrying a gun.
“As a police officer, you had a legal duty to arrest those people exchanging guns at the hostel. You failed to execute your duties,” said advocate Zandile Mshololo to Zungu.
Zungu said he did nothing at the time because there was no evidence or reason for him to act.
“But you hid crucial information for other police officers to come and investigate the two firearms you saw,” said Mshololo.
Zungu replied: “I kept that information so we could be here in this court today. We are here because I eventually did something.”
According to Zungu, after Meyiwa’s murder, he read newspapers and recognised the accused in the identikits.
Mshololo probed him for his lack of action after seeing their identikits in the newspapers.
Zungu said he might have recognised the accused, but at the time, he wasn’t completely sure whether it was them, hence, he didn’t act at the time.
“I put it to you that you knew that when you read the article and saw the identikits, you had a duty to report the incident to police,” said Mshololo.
“I was not at the Khumalo house, I did not see the person who did the shooting,” replied Zungu.
Msholo added that the reason he didn’t report his suspicions was because he fabricated the incident.
Zungu denied fabricating the story.
Meyiwa was killed while visiting his singer girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, at her home in Vosloorus on October 26, 2014.
The five accused in the Meyiwa murder trial are Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli.
The trial continues.