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Police forensic expert Thabo Mosia admitted he relinquished the crime scene, where Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates skipper Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed, and took an unsealed exhibit with him to attend to other crime scenes on that fateful night the incident happened.
Mosia added he left Meyiwa’s murder scene to attend to a case of business robbery and arson, as he was the standby officer for four police stations, and wanted to treat all crime scenes in the same manner.
On Wednesday, Mosia was vigorously cross-examined by defence counsel for accused number five Zandile Mshololo for the second day. Mshololo grilled Mosia on the procedure he followed in securing the crime scene.
He said:
However, Mosia refused to be drawn to comment on whether the bullet found on the scene was linked to the five suspects currently on the dock.
“I cannot answer that question. A bullet analyst could be the one to answer it.”
He subsequently conceded that the same bullet he discovered was not taken through the swabbing procedure before it was secured.
“It is impossible for me to examine the fingerprints on that bullet projectile … No swab was taken as a result.”
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Mshololo also questioned the crime scene report handed to the court by Mosia to prove that deceased top cop Philani Ndlovu helped him navigate the crime scene.
“There is no place where he was required to sign, but his handwriting on the report shows that he was the one who welcomed me to the crime scene,” he said.
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Mosia further disagreed with the preposition that he was aware of the reasons his second statement emanated from a request by police chief investigator Joyce Buthelezi, in which Mosia conceded that the crime scene might have been tampered with since he arrived nearly four hours after the incident took place.
“I would not agree with you. The only reason Colonel Buthelezi gave me to write the statement was only to find out how the scene was protected.”
But, Mshololo was adamant that Mosia knew what he referred to when he signed the statement that alluded to tampering with the scene.
The trial continues.
