In the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, the defence has raised significant doubts about the alleged murder weapon, suggesting that it might have been tampered with or replaced.
Senzo Meyia murder trial: Was the barrel of the gun tampered with?
On Friday, 1 September 2023, defence lawyer Zandile Mshololo argued that the barrels of firearms can be interchangeable.
She emphasised that there was no concrete evidence to confirm that the barrel of the firearm presented in court and found in the possession of Mthobisi Prince Mncube was indeed the same barrel from a firearm that was tested in 2015, a year after Meyiwa’s murder.
Meyiwa was tragically killed in what was believed to be a botched robbery in 2014. However, the alleged murder weapon surfaced in Cleveland and was linked to Mncube in an unrelated case.
Ballistic expert W/O Cornelius Roelofse, who investigated the 9mm parabellum pistol, was cross-examined by Mshololo. Roelofse confirmed that he had investigated the firearm, stating that he had engraved it with a lab number under the trigger guard because the serial number on the gun had been scratched off.
Roelofse also demonstrated the ease with which the barrel of the 9mm parabellum pistol could be dismantled, emphasising that while the structure of the gun might remain the same, the barrel could be different.
However, he maintained that if ballistics tests conducted by Lt-Col Christian Mangena confirmed a match between the firearm and bullets from the crime scene, it would indicate that it was indeed the same barrel used in the murder.
Mangena, in his earlier testimony, had conducted tests on two bullets that matched Roelofse’s tests, confirming that it was the same firearm used to kill Meyiwa.
Mshololo highlighted several concerns during the cross-examination. She questioned the authenticity of the engraved marks identifying the gun, arguing that there was no concrete evidence to confirm that Roelofse had made those marks.
Additionally, Mshololo raised doubts about the firearm’s condition before it came into Roelofse’s possession, given that it had passed through the hands of multiple police officers. Roelofse acknowledged this but reaffirmed that he had personally engraved the lab number under the trigger guard.
During the cross-examination, when advocate Zithulelel Nxumalo asked if a firearm’s barrel could be switched in the black market, Roelofse admitted he wouldn’t have the knowledge to answer definitively.
The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes on Monday.