Tumelo Madlala Senzo Meyiwa

The Senzo Meyiwa trial had to be halted on Tuesday morning after journalists ‘harassed’ witness Tumelo Madlala (right). Image via Twitter @thesanews, @isolezwe

Meyiwa trial: Proceedings halted as Tumelo Madlala gets emotional on the stand

A seemingly emotional Tumelo Madlala told the North Gauteng High Court what happened the day his friend Senzo Meyiwa was shot.

Tumelo Madlala Senzo Meyiwa

The Senzo Meyiwa trial had to be halted on Tuesday morning after journalists ‘harassed’ witness Tumelo Madlala (right). Image via Twitter @thesanews, @isolezwe

Proceedings in the murder trial of former Bafana Bafana captain, Senzo Meyiwa had to be halted on Tuesday, 13 September as State witness, Tumelo Madlala was emotional and teary on the stand.

Madlala who hails from Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal was seemingly emotional most of the time as he gave his eyewitness account of what happened when his best friend and homeboy Senzo Meyiwa was shot at singer Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus. 

TUMELO MADLALA’S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT

According to Madlala, this is what happened the day Meyiwa was shot: 

  • Tumelo was asked by Senzo to come to Gauteng as he normally visited him in Johannesburg. On Sunday, 26 October 2014, he (Tumelo) was then picked up at the Spruitview offramp by Senzo who was driving his BMW X6 accompanied by Kelly Khumalo and her sister Zandile as well Mthokozisi Twala who is Senzo’s brother-in-law. 
  • Tumelo then said they passed by a liquor store and bought alcohol and then proceeded to a house in Vosloorus where he was told it was Kelly’s home. 
  • Senzo then introduced Kelly Khumalo’s mother (Gladness) to Tumelo and also informed him that she is the one who is looking after Thingo, Senzo and Kelly’s daughter.
  • Senzo and Tumelo were drinking and watching soccer while the food was being prepared for them. After a short while a man who was introduced to him as Longwe Twala also joined them, however, he was busy talking Zandi. After some time he (Tumelo) went out to smoke and was accompanied by Mthokozisi Twala.
  • Upon their return to the house, Senzo and Kelly then stepped out he could not recall where they went. 
  • Tumelo said while they were still seated (he had earlier described the sitting arrangement to the court) they saw an armed man standing on the door leading to the sitting room. He described the man as short with big eyes who also had dreadlocks and was wearing a caramel or brown jacket. He further said the man demanded cellphones and money from them.

“In a blink of an eye Longwe Twala pushed the armed intruder and ran out of the house. While Longwe was out, Kelly ran away into another room and hid there. While I got up, I saw another guy in the kitchen (second intruder) and Senzo was holding his arm pressing him against the wall. 

“My intention was to get out of the house and when I was there (with Senzo) I also punched the intruder on the left side of his face and a shot was fired. I then ran away to a bedroom to take refuge there, there were a lot of clothes on the bed and I hid my phone there. I also looked around trying to find a window so I could escape, however, I could not as they had burglar bars.” 

Tumelo Madlala

The late goalkeeper’s best friend said while he and Senzo were fighting the first intruder, Kelly, Zandile and Gladness were beating the other intruder using his crutches. Asked where Meyiwa was after the gunshot, he said he didn’t know where everyone ran to.

He said after hearing the voices of the people who were in the house he then tried to open the bedroom door from inside but could not. Mthokozisi managed to open it for him using a spoon. As he came out he heard everyone calling Senzo’s name and with a shaky voice he said he saw him lying on the floor between a couch and a TV stand.

The court adjourned early to allow for Madlala to compose himself. The proceedings will resume on Wednesday, 14 September.

ALSO READ: ‘We thought they would talk’: Meyiwa family on Senzo’s friends