LISTEN | Kelly Khumalo phoned by one of Senzo's alleged killers before the murder

Kelly Khumalo was telephoned twice by one of the suspects accused of killing her then-boyfriend, soccer star Senzo Meyiwa, before his death.

This was revealed in the high court in Pretoria where the man and four others are on trial for the October 2014 murder of Meyiwa.

He was shot dead in Kelly's presence at her mother's home in Vosloorus. Also present at the time of the murder were her sister, Zandile, her boyfriend, Longwe Twala, the women's mother Ntombi Khumalo and two of Meyiwa's friends who were visiting from KwaZulu-Natal.

The house occupants claimed that Meyiwa was killed by one of two intruders who barged into the home, demanding cellphones and money.

The state's fourth witness, Col Lambertus Steyn, testified on Thursday that he had established that Kelly and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli had made contact on two occasions — first on the August 2 2014 and again on October 15 2014, which was days before Meyiwa's murder.

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Steyn is attached to the national cold case investigation unit based in the SAPS national head office in Pretoria. He is an analyst and investigation officer and has about 40 years' experience.

He told the court that as part of his daily duties, he was expected to analyse data from cellphones, namely incoming and outgoing calls.

He said he had been asked to profile all the targets and suspects identified by the team investigating the murder.

Steyn testified that on April 9 2020  he received a CD, “a section 205" and cellphone downloads from investigating officer Brig Bongani Gininda with information about “targets”. 

The information contained cellphone data of all the people who were present in the Vosloorus home where Meyiwa was gunned down — except one of Kelly's phones which reportedly was stolen by the intruders who had barged into the house. Meyiwa's phone records were also not part of the bundle. 

It was Zandile Khumalo's testimony that Meyiwa's phone was found lying on the kitchen floor when they returned from hospital where Meyiwa had just been declared dead. 

Steyn said the phones of the accused could also not be analysed because of the three-year time lapse since the incident. 

During his analysis, he said, he identified numbers which belonged to Kelly, which he can prove through links with family, friends, an Xds (xpert decision system), a central data base reference, the police crime administration system, the E-Natis system and True Caller software.

Steyn established that Kelly's number had been called from a number belonging to accused number five, Ntuli, on two occasions before Meyiwa's murder.

According to Steyn, the first call on August 2 2014 was made about 10.47pm. According to the data, Kelly was connected to a transmission tower in Kimberley when she took the call. It lasted about two minutes. The second call was  on October 15 2014, just days before the murder. That call lasted about 98 seconds.

Ntuli and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube and Mthokoziseni Maphisa are standing trial for premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. They have all pleaded not guilty.

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