Bongani Ntanzi, the youngest of the men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa, has painted himself as having played a minimal role in the hit.

Ntanzi, 32, suggests his co-accused ran the show, communicating back and forth with alleged mastermind in the hit, Kelly Khumalo. In his confession, Ntanzi details how he was nervous on the day of Meyiwa’s killing, claiming it was the first time he had been involved in such a crime.

He claims his co-accused gave him the smallest gun in the car on the way to Khumalo’s home and later threatened him several times that if he spoke out, they would kill him.

These allegations came out in the Pretoria high court yesterday during the reading of Ntanzi's a confession by  magistrate Vivian Cronje. Cronje took the confession from Ntanzi, one of the five accused men, in June 2020.

Ntanzi, Mncube and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Ntuli are accused of the the murder of Meyiwa in 2014. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Ntanzi said he was scared after they committed the crime. 

“I was shivering since I was never involved in such a thing before. We all left the hostel in a Polo Vivo. At a stop street, Maphisa and Carlos (Mnube) got into the other Polo Vivo vehicle and left. During the drive to the stop, Carlos kept pointing his finger at me, threatening me. He was also swearing because I was visibly frightened,” read Ntanzi's confession while Ntuli gave a smirk and whispered to his co-accused in the dock.    .

“I believe that I needed to be protected from a group of people I was with when this thing [crime] was done. I was already pointed with a finger as a warning and I was young boy and it was my first time. I am not sure where else in Gauteng they have been arrested. They were all grownups at that time. I also don’t trust the police as they can be easily bribed,” claimed Ntanzi.

Ntanzi said at the Basotho Hostel in Vosloorus where the hit was planned, Mthokoziseni asked Mncube if he was sure he “hit” Meyiwa. Ntanzi said Mncube pointed at him with his finger, saying: “I am telling you, you will s**t. A deal is a deal.”

Ntanzi said he was paid R45,000 for his participation in the crime before he left for Carletonville.  He said he had to change his cellphone numbers as his co-accused kept calling and threatening him.

He said after a while, a meeting was held at Sibiya's house with the fathers of the men involved. He said he was told the meeting was about an altercation between Sibiya's sisters, who threatened to tell police about Meyiwa's murder.

Also emerging in court yesterday is that Mncube spoke to singer Khumalo twice on the phone on the day that Meyiwa was killed.

In his confession, Ntanzi claimed that he met his co-accused at Ntuli's room the hostel in the evening of the murder. 

"Later that evening, while we were in Sfiso's [Ntuli's] room, Mthokoziseni [Maphisa] and Carlos [Mncube] arrived. Mthokoziseni and Carlos called Kelly Khumalo, they told her that we were all alright," read the confession. 

Ntanzi said that Ntuli had earlier told him that they have a job, which was to kill Meyiwa. Ntanzi said after the call to Khumalo, the group then left the hostel in a Polo Vivo. Along the way they made a stop when they met another Polo Vivo.

"Carlos, Mthokoziseni, Sfiso and Muzi approached the Vivo. I remained behind, they spoke among themselves and they spoke with Simphiwe who came in the other Polo vehicle. Simphiwe gave Mthokoziseni guns and we left [heading] to Vosloorus. And, when we arrived in Vosloorus, a call came in. I think it was Kelly [Khumalo] and Carlos kept on referring to this person as sister. He then went outside and called Maphisa, Sfiso and Muzi out of the vehicle,” read the confession. 

Ntanzi and Mncube are the two accused who allegedly entered the Khumalos' house and demanded money and cellphones. Ntanzi claimed that Meyiwa retaliated and hit Mncube with a chair while he was looking for “the thing” that Khumalo had pointed to him.  A scuffle ensued and Meyiwa was shot.

“It appeared as if he [Meyiwa] wanted to prevent Carlos from taking whatever he wanted to take. Kelly Khumalo was the one who directed Carlos where the thing was which he wanted to take. During the scuffle, Carlos fired two shots, I did not see where Senzo was hit because when the shots were fired I was [heading] out. I was in the house when shots were fired and I left the house as Senzo was falling.”

In August, the court heard through police analyst Col Lambertus Steyn that Ntuli called Khumalo twice, weeks before Meyiwa was shot. Steyn said according to his records, Ntuli first called Khumalo on August 2 2014 at 22.40 and that call lasted 110 seconds. He called Khumalo again on October 15.

On Thursday, judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng ruled the admissions made by Sibiya and Ntanzi were made freely and voluntarily.

Col James Hadebe also took the stand yesterday and told the court that Sibiya took him to the hostel and the Khumalos' home during the pointing out.

He further said Sibiya told him that on the night Meyiwa was killed he was outside.

“On Saturday we met and went to the house that I pointed to Col Hadebe in Vosloorus. We stopped at the corner and we walked to that house and I was asked if I wanted to go in I said no, I will wait outside. I then heard three shots,” Hadebe said as he read out Sibiya’s statement. 

The trial continues on Wednesday.