Senzo Meyiwa trial: Expert tells judge no court has rejected his evidence before

A witness in the murder trial of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa says his evidence in previous cases has never been rejected by the courts.

Police expert Colonel Lambertus Steyn, who is analysed data from the cellphone of the accused in the case and the six people who were in the house at the time when Meyiwa was shot in 2014, concluded his evidence in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.

Kelly Khumalo linked to one of the accused

Steyn was cross-examined by the defence following his testimony last week, which revealed accused five, Fisokuhle Ntuli had twice phoned Meyiwa’s then-girlfriend and singer Kelly Khumalo, just weeks before former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was gunned down on 26 October 2014.

According to the records, the first call was made on 2 August 2014, followed by another on 15 October 2014.

Ntuli’s lawyer, advocate Zandile Mshololo on Monday, however, challenged Steyn’s evidence the cellphone number belonged to her client.

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Steyn had admitted a cellphone number which he linked to Ntuli was not RICA’d or registered in his name.

Furthermore, Steyn previously testified his investigations found the suspects knew each other on the basis they had communicated before.

But the police expert conceded none of the cellphone data obtained pointed to a conspiracy to murder unless the contents of what was discussed during the calls were known.

Cross-examination

On Tuesday, Mshololo continued with the cross-examination, asking Steyn whether he was the person who discovered which cellphone numbers were used by Ntuli.

“It was done by someone else,” Steyn said.

Mshololo then quizzed the expert about photographs of accused three, Mthobisi Mncube included in his analysis report.

Steyn insisted the photographs, which were allegedly taken on the day of the shooting, were found on Mncube’s cellphone.

Mshololo: “The pictures you included in your report, could you determine if they were captured by that device or sent to that device?”

“They were captured by that device,” Steyn responded.

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Mshololo asked: “Am I correct in saying you didn’t download this information.”

“That’s correct, I received it,” Steyn said.

Steyn explained he used a central database which established Ntuli and Khumalo once made contact based on the cellphone data he received.

“I took the section 205 [application]. This is the way we receive from the service provider,” he said during his re-examination by state prosecutor, Advocate George Baloyi.

He also indicated Khumalo’s number was not saved on Ntuli’s phone.

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng later asked Steyn whether any court had ever rejected his evidence. The expert said it had not.

Steyn, who has 41 years of experience working for the South African Police Services (Saps), further told the court he was declared as an expert by a judge in 2009.

Sergeant Moses Mabasa is the next witness to take the stand. The trial continues.

Watch the court proceedings below: