Man with dreadlocks in the picture is accused 3 in Meyiwa trial: Defense counsel

Defense counsel Advocate Charles Mnisi has conceded in court that the man whose picture was displayed on the screen in court, is in fact that of his client, Mthobisi Mncube.

This is after Advocate Mnisi told the court on Friday that the pictures displayed in court were too blurry or too much of poor quality to tell who was in the pictures.

Mncube, who is among the five accused in the Senzo Meyiwa trial, was arrested in 2015 for possession of an unlawful firearm and his cellphone was confiscated.

An investigation of the cellphone data that was downloaded from the phone which was in his possession when he was arrested, revealed that the day before Meyiwa was shot, as well as on the day of the crime, Mncube had dreadlocks and wore beige clothes, fitting the description of one of the two intruders who entered the house and demanded cellphones and money.

Kelly Khumalo’s sister, Zandile, has previously told the court that she, her mother, and Longwe were seated on the one couch in the sitting room, while Tumelo Madlala, Mthokozisi Thwala and Senzo Meyiwa sat on the other couch before two men, one short with dreadlocks, wearing brownish clothes, was in front and another one who was taller, wearing a hoodie, following behind, entered the house through the kitchen door.

She has identified accused 2, Bongani Ntanzi.

Cellphone expert and investigating officer, Colonel Lambertus Steyn has testified that cellphone records show that the men sitting in court, bar accused 4, knew each other and had communicated amongst themselves.

Mnisi: You were requested to make comments about this photo, right?

Steyn: Yes, that’s correct.

Mnisi: You were also asked if the person in this picture was one of the people here in court and you see it’s accused 3. Correct?

Steyn: Yes.

Mnisi: Why do you say it is him?

Steyn: Because I can see it’s him?

Steyn has pointed the nose, ears and the mouth as some of the feature he could easily use to tell the person in the picture was accused 3, even though he didn’t have dreadlocks currently in court and looked a bit lighter in court than in the pictures.

He has attributed the accused’s light complexion to having spent time in prison, away from the sun.

“You must be aware that when this photo was taken he was outside. He was in the sun and now he is inside,” says Steyn.

A heated exchange ensued between Mnisi and the witness when Mnisi accused Steyn of thinking of himself as “dermatologist”

Mnisi: My lord, the witness is saying the colour of a person when they are outside and when they are inside. Like a chameleon…

Steyn: My lord, I think we are wasting time now.

Judge: Mr Mnisi, you can put it to the witness that the person in that picture is not accused 3. I don’t know, but you can do that.

Mnisi: Sir, I am not going to put it to you as the court is asking me to. I am putting it to you that the person in that picture is indeed accused 3.

Earlier, Steyn told the court that according to the cellphone data he analysed from the phones of the people who were in the house, revealed that none of the people who were in the house called the police or emergency services following Meyiwa’s shooting.

The trial continues.