For almost nine years of long, slow court proceedings, soccer star Senzo Meyiwa was thought to have been killed by robbers. But new evidence - and a new judge - puts another slant on things.

Footballer Senzo Meyiwa was fatally shot on 26 October 2014 at the home of the mother of singer Kelly Khumalo, his girlfriend, in Vosloorus, southeast of Johannesburg.

The High Court in Pretoria heard startling evidence linking Khumalo with an alleged hitman, Sifisokuhle Ntuli, one of five men accused of the murder.

In January 2022, Ntuli was sentenced to six life sentences and 39 years in an unrelated matter. He was convicted of killing ANC councillor Thami Nyembe in KwaNongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2016. Nyembe was shot and killed while he was driving with his wife, who was severely wounded.

Ntuli was also convicted for other crimes, including murder, attempted murder and unlawful possession of firearms.

State witness Colonel Lambertus Steyn, of the cold case investigation unit based in the SAPS head office in Pretoria, a man with 40 years of experience, said analysis showed no cellphone calls had been made by people inside the house on the fatal night - no calls were made to police or an ambulance.

Steyn said data revealed that Khumalo got two calls from Ntuli before Meyiwa's death. The first call was made on 2 August 2014 and the second on 15 October 2014, eight days...