A new witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, a high-profile ballistic expert who specialises in crime scene reconstruction, has told the high court in Pretoria that only two shots were fired from inside the house the night the former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was shot and killed. 

According to Lieutenant Colonel Christian Mangena, Meyiwa was standing in an upright position, facing inside the house with his back to a slightly open kitchen door, although he was not in contact with it, when he was shot with a loose contact shot, meaning the gun was on his body albeit not hard-pressed against his chest. 

Mangena says his crime scene reconstruction indicated that two shots were fired on the crime scene and that the first shot was fired on the floor at an angle of 90 degrees.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 30, 2023

He says the bullet, fired in a downward trajectory, perforated the keeper’s body and hit the ajar kitchen door, ricocheting to the wall in the kitchen before falling onto the kitchen counter.  

The defence has previously suggested that the bullet projectile, which was only discovered the day after the shooting by Colonel Thobeka Mhlahlo after Warrant Officer Thabo Mosia had left the scene and come back, was planted.  

Clad in a dark suit, a dark jersey and a dark tie on a blue shirt, Mangena was the man who had reconstructed the Oscar Pistorius murder scene, the Babita Deokoran scene and recently dashed suggestions of an assassination on a former transport minister in the DRC finding that the injuries were self-inflicted, spoke with much authority from the witness stand. 

During his entire testimony he remained on his feet. 

He says his investigation indicated that the movement of the bullet through the former Bafana Bafana captain’s body had not only slowed down the speed of the bullet but had also affected its stability as it exited the body, possibly hitting the door by its side and not a 90 degrees angle.  

“The damage on the door indicated the bullet was unstable when it hit the door, maybe moving side to side and the bullet did not hit the door at 90 degrees, which indicate the door was slightly open and it deflected back into the house. Had it hit the door at 90 degrees, it would have perforated the door,” explains Mangena. 

“As it deflected, it bounced on the wall and it was found around that area.”

Mangena says the reason while the bullet projectile did not fragment like the first shot on the floor was because it had lost speed after it had perforated the deceased’s body. He says the door was also softer than the bullet resulting in the bullet remaining intact. #SABCNews

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 30, 2023

According to the people who were at the scene, two intruders entered the house, one tall and one short and demanded cell phones and money before a scuffle broke out, during which Meyiwa was fatally wounded.  

Mangena says he cannot rule out the possibility of a scuffle. 

He says the first shot that was fired hit the floor and fragmented because the tiled floor was harder than the bullet. He says as a result, anyone who was nearby when the bullet hit the floor at a 90 degree angle, could have been hit by a bullet fragment.  

According to Zandile Khumalo, who was one of the people involved in the scuffle, immediately after the first shot was fired, she saw a spark and felt something hit her on her ankle. 

Mangena’s testimony supports this possibility. 

He says in 2020 he was called by the investigating officer in the Meyiwa murder case, Brigadier Bongani Gininda about the people of interest in the case who turned out to be the five accused.  

Mangena says on 30 June 2020, he was called for the same exercise on accused 3, Mthobisi Mncube.

“I asked him to take his shoes and socks for marks on his legs for possible bullet fragment scars.” #SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 30, 2023

He says he could not determine if any of the people could have pulled the trigger based on their heights and could not find any bullet fragment scars on the ankles of accused 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

Mangena: I hadn’t yet told him what I was looking for and when he told me gave me that explanation, I sensed this could be a person of interest because otherwise how would he have known what I was looking for?#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwa #SenzoMeyiwatrial

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 30, 2023

He says accused 4, Fisokuhle Ntuli refused to have the same investigation done on him.  

Mangena says they, however, could not find any bullet fragment scars on accused 3.

He says accused 5, Fisokuhle Ntuli, refused for the same exercise to be done on him on 1 July 2020.

They could find anything on accused 4, Mthokozisi Maphisa on 6 July. #SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwa

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 30, 2023

The trial continues.