South Africa: I Was Asleep When Senzo Meyiwa Died Says Accused

· Mthobisi Mncube denied being the gunman who killed Senzo Meyiwa and insisted he has never been inside the Vosloorus house where the football star was shot.

· The state says cellphone records and tower data placed Mncube in the Vosloorus area, but he said he was only driving through on his way to Mazibuko Hostel.

The man accused of pulling the trigger that killed Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa says police have the wrong person.

Mthobisi Mncube returned to the witness stand in the Pretoria High Court and again denied taking part in the murder.

The state says Mncube was the dreadlocked gunman who entered the Vosloorus home where Meyiwa was shot in October 2014.

But Mncube told the court he was asleep on the night Meyiwa was killed.

He also insisted he has never been inside the house where the football star was shot.

The court heard that prosecutors are relying on cellphone records, tower data and photographs to place Mncube in the Vosloorus area on the day of the murder.

Mncube rejected that claim.

He told the court he was travelling from Johannesburg to Mazibuko Hostel and only passed through Vosloorus because that was the route he took.

Defence lawyer Charles Mnisi asked whether the road to the hostel went through Vosloorus.

Mncube replied: "Yes, when you get onto the N3 from Johannesburg, that is where it goes. That is now Vosloorus."

Mncube also criticised the police investigation.

He said investigators never asked witnesses inside the house to identify him in an identity parade before charging him.

He told the court this denied him justice.

"The absence of the ID parade to me is the miscarriage of justice," he said.

Mncube argued that the people who were inside the house knew who they saw and should have been given the chance to identify the suspect.

He claimed investigators ignored that process and arrested someone else instead.

Five men are on trial for the murder of Meyiwa, who was shot and killed during a robbery at the Vosloorus home of his girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in October 2014.

All five accused have pleaded not guilty.

The trial started in 2022 and has heard evidence from witnesses, police officers and forensic experts.

The accused are now presenting their defence before Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng after Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela retired.

Meyiwa's family is being assisted by Advocate Gerrie Nel, who acts as a watching brief and provides legal advice but does not prosecute the case.

Meyiwa's mother, Ntombifuthi Meyiwa, recently returned to court for the first time since the trial began, saying it was difficult to face the courtroom.

"I just want final accountability and justice for my son. The long wait has been very heavy on the family," said Meyiwa.

The trial continues in the Pretoria High Court until Friday, 7 August.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

South Africa: I Was Asleep When Senzo Meyiwa Died Says Accused

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