LIVE BLOG | "I'm not exactly sure how many shots went off but I heard one " - Tumelo Madlala

As the murder trial in which five men are accused of murdering football star, Senzo Meyiwa continues in the Pretoria high court on Monday, a new witness is expected to take the stand following the end of the testimony of Meyiwa's childhood friend, Mthokozisi Thwala last week.

Tumelo Madlala who was Meyiwa's best friend, is the seventh witness to take the stand in the trial. He was one of the people who were present in the house when the soccer star was gunned down.

14: 52 - Court adjourns for the day

Court adjourned for the day and will resume on Tuesday. Madlala is expected to be cross-examined.

14:45 - Madlala was influenced into participating in the Netflix documentary

"Do you know a person named Soweto Mandlazi?" Baloyi asked.

"Yes I know him. I know him through Sifiso Meyiwa who is the deceased's brother. He [Mandlazo] arrived with Sifiso at my home and told me that he would be writing a book about Senzo. He asked me to help him since I was close to Senzo and talk about how we grew up and everything. So, I told him all of that Information," he explained.

Madlala says this occurred during the time Buthelezi had approached him in 2019. He added that false news that he did not divulge to Soweto had started appearing in the media.

"We then decided to stop speaking to him and decided to open a case against him because these were things we had never said to him," he added.

When Baloyi asked Madlala about his involvement in the Netflix documentary, Madlala said he was motivated to be part of it.

"Yes I did the Netflix documentary because Sifiso and Siya, who is Senzo's cousin came to my home. They motivated me to be part of the documentary and they came on different days, not together," he said.

Madlala then explained that photographs from his camera were requested by the team from Netflix. Madlala says after disagreeing to be part of the documentary, he eventually agreed to be part of it since he was influenced by Sifiso and Siya. He says he had an agreement with Netflix regarding his photos.

14: 40 - Madlala only heard one gunshot go off

When Baloyi probed whether Madlala had heard more gunshots after the one he heard coming from the kitchen, he answered that he only heard one gunshot.

"I'm not exactly sure how many shots went off but I heard one and it's the one that deafened me. I then ran into the bedroom, so I cannot say how many shots actually went off," he said.

Madlala also testified that the intruders had entered the house not more than 10 minutes after he and Thwala had gotten back inside the house after smoking.

14: 30 -Every one had been drinking alcohol apart from Khumalo's mother

When questioned about the alcoholic beverages they had bought on the way to the Khumalo home earlier that day, Madlala said everyone who was in the house had been drinking.

"Everyone except for Kelly's mother and the kids had been drinking that evening," Madlala answered.

When asked about how much he had drank, Madlala responded by saying he barely finished the third can of the Heineken he was drinking.

Baloyi then questioned Madlala about the visibility on the evening.

"It was well lit in the house because it was late already. If it was dark then I would not have seen the intruder when he walked in. 

14:10 - How one of the police officers promised Madlala lies

Before court had adjourned, Madlala had explained how one of the investigating officers had approached him in 2019 and convinced him to go into witness protection. Madlala says he believes the police officer had an agenda to fulfill.

"You said the police who put you in witness protection made a lot of promises. What were the purpose of those?" Baloyi asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps there could have been an agenda she was pushing. I really took her (Buthelezi) as a mother but that changed after a lot of the things she had done," Madlala responded.

Baloyi then questioned what made Madlala change his perception of Buthelezi, he explained how she never kept her promises to him.

"I would confide in her but then she would not believe the things I'd tell her. I perceived her as a mother wheras she had her own agenda. She'd illicit information and even go beyond what I was telling her," he said.

Madlala says Buthelezi coercing her into going into the witness protection programme should tell that she had an agenda.

"I saw that when I wasn't interesting in attending that programme, she kept insisting that I do. Even them taking me to Senzo's grave shows that she had an agenda," Madlala emphasised.

He continued to explain that when Buthelezi took him to Meyiwa's grave in 2019, she had been hoping to hear him say something different to solve the murder case.

"I told her that I hadn't said a proper goodbye to Senzo. She then took me there hoping that I will say something difefrent to what I've been explaining," he said.

"This whole thing confuses me because in that house there's no other person who was my friend there. So, I don't understand why there is a impression that I would be protecting someone in that house. Why woud I do that?" Madlala asked.

14:06 - Court resumes

Court resumes and Tumelo Madlala continues with his testimony.

13:00 - Court adjourns

12: 15 - Madlala's phone was taken by police

Madlala said a lot of questions were being asked by the police and that he saw a hat and crutches on the floor. He says they were then taken to the Mulbarton by the police and his phone was confiscated on the way there.

When asked whether he had a cell phone on the day, Madlala said he had a Samsung phone.

"When you were escorted to Mulbarton, did you still have a phone?" Baloyi asked.

"No, the police took it and sealed it. They also took saliva samples. Mthokozisi was not with us when we left the hospital. He didn't return with us," he said.

11: 37 - Court resumes

Court resumes and defence lawyer, Charles Mnisi says during the adjournment, Madlala had made utterances and said that the accused were complaining that Madlala had pointed at them calling them dogs that should be arrested.

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng warns Madlala to keep the proceedings decent.

"Let us control ourselves I know tempers may flare," he says, to which Madlala agrees.

Madlala continues with his testimony.

12:05 - Madlala did not return with everyone else to the house from the hospital

Madlala continued his testimony by describing how they had carried Meyiwa into the BMW X6 after he was shot. He says Kelly Khumalo was driving in a fast manner to Botshelong hospital. 

"A while after Senzo was taken in with a stretcher, I saw Kelly's mother and din't know when or how she got there. After a while a health worker came carrying an x-ray. She requested for an elderly person and I knew this would be bad news. Thereafter I saw Kelly's mother crying and I went to see Senzo," an emotional Madlala testified.

Madlala says Mandisa then arrived with soccer players and a fight ensued between Kelly, Mandisa and Mandisa's friends.

Madlala says when everyone was leaving, he went back to the scene with a lady who had been consoling him at the hospital.

"There is a lady who was consoling me and she was talking to me. I got into her car and went back to the scene. On our arrival, we found police there. They had put yellow tape around the house," he said.

11: 15 - Court adjourns as Madlala gets emotional

Madlala then revealed that Mthokozisi had opened the door for him from outside.

"When I got out, I saw that people were startled and Senzo was lying between the couch and TV stand with his left hand on the side of his body as if he was trying to get inside that space," an emotional Madlala says.

Court adjourns for 20 minutes.

11: 00 - The gun went off in the kitchen

Madlala says that before the gun went off he had hit the second intruder in the face.

"After that there was a gun shot which went off and as it went off, the sound almost deafened my ears. I then ran into the bedroom," he said.

When asked by state advocate, George Baloyi where the gunshot went off, Madlala said from the kitchen.

"In the kitchen, there was a ringing sound in the ears and I ran into one of the rooms. I think it's the second one on the right. I took my phone and hid it under the blankets. Senzo's child was awake then because of the commotion," he explianed.

10:45 - Zandi Khumalo hit the intruders with Madlala's crutches

Madlala says after going back inside the house after smoking, a person appeared from the door which has direct access to the dining room. Madlala described the person as a man who was carrying a firearm and had dreadlocks and was wearing a hat.

"He wanted phones and money with a wielded firearm with widened eyes," Madlala said.

He then described how a tussle ensued and how different people fled from the intruders. Madlala then revealed that Zandile Khumalo and her mother were trying to fight off the first intruder.

"Zandi was hitting the person with my crutch. I'm not sure if her mother used it too. My crutches were next to the heater,' he said.

Madlala then said the gun went off while he and Meyiwa were fighting off the intruders.

"At the time Senzo had pinned him against the wall. He grabbed that upper arm and pinned him against the wall. I don't want to say second person. It is this person [as he points at accused number 2, Bongani Ntanzi] then a gun went off," he said. 

10: 35 - Kelly and Senzo went to the shop before intruders came into the house

Madlala says after he was fetched, they all went to a place that sold liquor before heading to the Khumalo's household.

"Mthokozisi and Zandi went inside to buy. Then we went to another house which I didn't know at the time, it was a facebrick house," he explains that upon entering, they were met by a woman carrying a child.

"When we got to the house a woman was carrying a child and we greeted and she prepared food for us. After a while I think Senzo and Kelly went out to the shop to buy something," he said.

Madlala then said shortly afterwards, Longwe Twala arrived and said he does not remember him greeting them.

'I am not sure what time it was but we were done eating and were drinking already. It was already late," he said.

10: 15 - Kelly Khumalo deposited money for Madlala to come to Johannesburg

Explaining the events that occurred on the day that Meyiwa was killed, Madlala said he was invited by the soccer star to attend football player, Rooi Mahumutsa's birthday party. Madlala said he was sent money to travel from KZN to Gauteng to attend the party.

"Senzo had sent me money for a ticket but the R500 was deposited by Kelly Khumalo and not him. When I received the money, I went to the Durban station and there were no morning busses to Joburg. However, there was a lady who was driving a Hyundai i30 that was looking for people to travel to Johannesburg with. I left with her and other people who were also travelling to Johannesburg. Senzo told me to get off at an off-ramp in Spruitview," he explained.

Madlala then said that once he arrived, Meyiwa had come to collect him in a BMW X6 and was with Kelly Khumalo, Zandile Khumalo and Mthokozisi Thwala. He also says that he had been using crutches to walk on the day because he had sustained an injury on his big toe.

10:10 - Tumelo Madlala is introduced as a witness in court

Madlala began his testimony by describing his relationship with Meyiwa and says they came from the same township of uMlazi and were childhood friends. Madlala also says that he and Meyiwa were once teammates in a soccer team before Meyiwa became a professional player.