A bullet projectile found at the crime scene of Senzo Meyiwa‘s murder has been linked to a gun discovered in the home of murder-accused Mthobisi Mncube.
Senzo Meyiwa trial: Ballistics expert blows holes in Mthobisi Mncube defence
Ballistics expert Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Mangena testified at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, revealing that test bullets fired from a 9mm parabellum pistol belonging to Mncube matched the bullet found at the Vosloorus home where Meyiwa tragically lost his life on October 26, 2014.
Mncube, who was arrested in a taxi-related shooting, was subsequently found guilty and sentenced for possession of the same firearm and ammunition in a separate matter.
The ammunition found at Mncube’s rented room in Malvern, Johannesburg, along with the firearm, was identified by Mangena as being the same make used in the shooting of Meyiwa.
Thus far, the State focused its evidence on depicting Mncube as the alleged dreadlocked intruder reported by witnesses.
Chipane Lesley Kgaphola, Mncube’s former landlord, also took the stand and emphasised Mncube’s distinct feature of dreadlocks, which had reportedly been cut off since.
The five suspects, Carlos Mthobisi Mncube, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli, facing murder, attempted murder, robbery and gun charges, were nabbed in October 2021, on the seventh anniversary of the Orlando Pirates goalkeeper’s death.
One of the murder accused, Sibiya, was recently sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for attempted murder. He was found guilty of shooting his girlfriend, who, at the time, had threatened to lift the lid on his alleged involvement in the death of Meyiwa.
The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial is set to resume on Thursday, 31 August 2023.