Meyiwa's shooting reported four hours after the murder: crime scene expert

According to the first crime scene expert who went to the Vosloorus house where footballer Senzo Meyiwa was murdered, the crime was reported four hours after it had occurred and the delay might have compromised evidence at the scene.

On Thursday, the Pretoria high court heard from Sgt Thabo Mosia that he failed to take swabs from the kitchen door, which was the entry point of the alleged intruders, or conduct prime residue tests on the people in the house.

Earlier on, he said the crutches used to assault the intruder were also not treated as evidence.

Mosia was a police officer whose duty was to collect evidence and take photos, among other things, on the night.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Sipho Ramosepele, representing Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya and Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mosia’s statement — which he confirmed he wrote — was read.

“The incident of a murder scene was reported four hours late and the crime scene address was not yet known to me at the time it was reported to me. Instead, I was told to go to the hospital. All the delays before me reporting the matter together with role players might have compromised the murder crime scene,” read parts of the statement.

When probed on what he meant, Mosia said he was explaining that every crime scene should be attended to quickly and that any delay could compromise it.

It was Mosia's testimony that he arrived at the Vosloorus home about 12.20am on October 27, where he received a report on what happened and was shown what  to photograph.

He took the court through how he had collected evidence.

Ramoseple, quoting Meyiwa’s childhood friend who had testified that he observed that the alleged murder weapon, a hand gun, had a wheel, asked Mosia what type of a gun had a wheel, based on his experience.

“It would be a revolver,” Mosia said.

Mosia, asked about the difference between a revolver and a pistol, said: “A pistol ejects the cartridge case, a revolver retains the cartridge inside the firearm.”

When advocate Charles Mnisis, representing Mthobisi Prince Mncube, took over, Mosia revealed that a metal detector was not used to try to locate any possible metal evidence in the house. 

This is despite Mosia having said he had called the provincial crime scene management because they had proper investigative equipment, specifically the metal detector that would be able to detect any cartridges in the house.

He said only a UV light was used to capture the fingerprints on that day.

“No, it (the metal detector) wasn't used because in the house there were steel pots, that would have confused us,” he said.

Mosia said the bullet projectile that was found on top of the kitchen counter behind glass jars was discovered by warrant officer Thobeka Mhlahlo when she searched the house.

He had failed to find the projectile before Mhlahlo's arrival and argued that he had focused on the damaged kitchen door, thinking that the bullet would have fallen between the layers of the door.

Mosia said after seeing the hole damage on the floor and on the kitchen door he drew his own conclusion that there could have been two shots fired.

Further, he said, after not finding any cartridges he drew a conclusion that the gun used could have been a revolver as it doesn't eject cartridges when fired.

Advocate Zithulele Nxumalo for Mthokoziseni Maphisa focused on the swabs taken by Mosia.

In total, Mosia confirmed that he took 12 swabs.

However, he revealed that he didn't take swabs from all of the doors in the house.

“I excluded the kitchen door and the sitting room door. I was not motivated to take the swabs on the kitchen door because that is where people were entering and exiting — by the time I got the report of the incident, people had been touching the door frequently,” he said.

Explaining further, Mosia said the information he had received was that Kelly Khumalo had entered bedroom 1 and the suspect tried to push open the door.

“That is where we had concentrated — the touch DNA and we concluded with the fingerprints. [As for] the second door, opposite the bathroom, there was no information that I got pertaining to that bedroom,” he said.

In reference to his sketchbook, Mosia was asked

to verify which was bedroom.

After perusing documents, Mosia remarked: “Eish, I am getting confused.”

Explaining to the court, he said the confusion was in verifying the swabs.

“I remember swabs 1 and 2 I collected in the bedroom facing the kitchen. In bedrooms 2, 3 and the bathroom door — that is where I am getting confused,” he said.

In light of his confusion, the court took an early adjournment.

Cross-examination is expected to continue on Friday.

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