Former girlfriend of accused 3 in Meyiwa trial tells court she knew nothing about the gun

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The then-girlfriend of accuded 3 in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Kagiso Tefu, has told the High Court in Pretoria that she knew nothing about the gun that was found in the Malvern room she shared with him in 2015.

During a brief testimony on Monday, Tefu told the court she met Mthobisi Mncube on the first week of January in 2015 before they moved in together about three weeks later, which means at the time Meyiwa was shot and killed in October 2014, the two hadn’t met yet. 

She says she was home from work on the day that the accused was arrested for a different matter, which related to taxi violence in Alexandra. 

She has confirmed the third accused sitting in the dock was her boyfriend.

Baloyi: What is his name?

Tefu: Mthobisi.

Baloyi: Mthobisi who?

*She pauses to think.

Baloyi: If you don’t remember it’s fine.#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwatrial #SenzoMeyiwa

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 28, 2023

According to Tefu, three police officers, carrying firearms, stopped them as they were about to enter the premises and ordered Mncube to lie down on the ground.  

“I think it was on the 9th of February 2015. It was in the afternoon, around 4 or 5.  I was from work, and I asked him to wait for me at the bus stop as I was carrying some plastic bags. I found him waiting and he then carried one of the plastic bags because he was injured on one of his hands. As we got to the gate, a red vehicle appeared driving at a high speed and braked in front of us and they quickly got out of the car carrying firearms,” says Tefu. 

Mncube was ordered to lie on the ground by two male officers who searched him, she says, while a third female officer explained to her why her then-boyfriend was being arrested. 

It was upon a search of the room they shared that a gun was discovered on top of the wardrobe and a box, the contents of which she also knew nothing about. 

Tefu says she told the police she knew nothing about the gun and Mncube at first would not say anything.  

She says it was Mncube, however, who prevented the police from arresting them both when Mncube finally told the police that the gun belonged to him.  

Tefu: Then he said they should leave me because I didn’t know anything. He said it belonged to him.

Tefu says the gun was put inside the exhibit bag. #SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwa #SenzoMeyiwatrial

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 28, 2023

Earlier, Mncube’s then-landlord at the same premises testified that the accused sported dreadlocks when he came with a female companion, believed to be Tefu, looking for a place to rent.  

Mnisi: You don’t remember his complexion.

Kgaphola: He was light-skinned.

Mnisi: In your evidence when you were asked if he was here, you said he was accused 3. How did you know him before?

Kgaphola: I met him before.#SABCNEWS #SenzoMeyiwa #SenzoMeyiwatrial

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 28, 2023

He says the pair moved in the same month and paid full rent for the month of January before paying for February as well.  

Mnisi: So you recognised by facial features.

Kgaphola: It’s an absolute fact that I have met him before and I see him now.

Mnisi: What makes you so sure it’s him?

Kgaphola: Do you want me to ask him to stand up. What do you want me to do?#SABCNews #SenzoMeyiwaTrial

— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) August 28, 2023

He says he only heard from his caretaker that the accused was arrested and was removed from the premises in chains.  

“At the end of January, they paid the rent for February, and then later, I received a report that he had been arrested and had left the premises in chains. But I didn’t personally witness that. The girlfriend continued to occupy the room and rent was paid again at the end of the month of February,” says Kgaphola. 

He says he remembers the dreadlocks because he was concerned about the noise.  

“No offense to Rastafarian (community), but I thought maybe he would make noise by playing guitars or something like that,” he adds. 

The defence had no questions for Tefu and Advocate Charles Mnisi was prevented from delivering a special message for the accused. Mnisi says the accused merely wanted to tell Tefu he missed her.  

The state is expected to call a pathologist to the stand on Tuesday.