Publications
It’s another tough day in the dock for state witness and police forensic expert Thabo Mosia.
Defence Advocate Zandile Mshololo disputed the mysterious circumstance of a bullet found at the crime scene where Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana skipper Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed.
During Mosia’s cross-examination for the second day at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, Mshololo grilled the police sergeant for his failure to identify the bullet when he first arrived at the crime scene.
READ: Senzo Meyiwa murder trial: Did police miss crucial evidence at the crime scene?
Mosia reiterated that he did not fail but was waiting for assistance from the provincial crime management centre.
Mshololo also dismantled Mosia’s qualifications, prompting him to admit that his highest qualification was obtained five years after the murder.
“So, we could agree that you had not obtained a BTech at the time when the incident happened, and you wouldn’t have known what you later learned about forensics?”
She questioned Mosia’s ability to secure and investigate the crime scene, citing that he failed to follow the blood trail, which led to the car used to transport Meyiwa to hospital.
The soccer star was gunned down at the house of Kelly Khumalo’s mother in Vosloorus on October 26 2014.
However, Mosia denied that he was not qualified to handle the crime scene, revealing to the court that he gathered his expertise through a five-year training programme at the SA Police Service, which granted him a criminalistic expert certificate in 2013.
“You got the qualification one year before the incident happened, is that enough experience to do your work?” asked Mshololo.
Previously, Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela refused to grant defence Advocate Malesela Teffo’s special plea to halt proceedings, citing that the state was in possession of confession statements from his clients, which were obtained unlawfully.
READ: Senzo Meyiwa trial | State witness accused of neglecting evidence
The trial within the trial that Teffo suggested was based on what he referred to as a constitutional infringement of his clients’ rights.
The five suspects – Mthobisi Mncube, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifiso Ntuli – pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.
The trial continues after a brief tea adjournment.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
