DNA samples exclude all Senzo Meyiwa accused

DNA expert in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial says his evidence cannot conclusively place any of the five accused at the crime scene where he was fatally shot in 2014.

Giving his evidence in the high court in Pretoria yesterday, Mampshedi Masetla, the police officer who compared the DNA of the suspects to the DNA samples lifted at Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus after the murder, told the court that evidence excluded all the accused.

The samples were taken from the bedroom door handle and the scotch hat that witnesses claimed belonged to one of the two armed men who invaded Khumalo’s home on October 26 2014 – the night Meyiwa was murdered.

Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi and Mthobisi Prince Mncube are standing trial for the murder of the former Bafana captain.

Masetla explained that in order to say the reference DNA match the DNA on the swabs or it is a donor, it has to be read on all regions of the DNA.

“What is important for us when we do DNA comparison is to check whether the reference sample [DNA of theknown person whenconduc ting the DNA comparison] can be compared to the sample we received from crime scene, basically by looking at the characters on the regions of the chromosome.

And to confirm that you are the donor of that sample you have to match all the regions of the sample.

“The donors of the following reference samples were excluded as donors of the swabs and the hat.

“The reference samples are [from] MZ Mapisa, M Mncube, B Ntanzi, F Ntuli and M Sibiya. For us to include you, we have to find you in all regions of the DNA,” he explained .

Khumalo’s sister Zandile and Meyiwa’s friend Mthokozisi Thwala had previously told the court that Mncube and Ntanzi were the men who invaded the house with intention to rob them before Meyiwa was fatally shot.

They also alleged that one of the suspects left a scotch hat behind, however, Masetla said DNA samples collected from the hat excluded all the suspects. Hendrik Louis Mulder, a human resource manager from Sibanye Gold in Carletonville, also testified about Ntanzi’s whereabout around the time Meyiwa was murdered.

He was dismissed for absconding from work in 2016. He said Ntanzi last reported for work on October 25 and knocked off around 7am after having worked for a few hours.He resumed work on November 2. He said he had taken five-day unpaid leave to attend to a family matter in KZN.

Explaining his client’s work schedule in that period, defence attorney Sipho Ramosepele said: “On the 26th he didn’t clock because it was Sunday and it was not his day to work and during the five days he didn’t clock because he was home in KZN.

“My client had permission to work two hours because he was travelling to another province, ” he said.

Mulder said even though it is not standard procedure it is possible that he might have been allowed to work half hours by his supervisor .In July that year, Ntanzi took his annual leave and in October it was his second time he took the leave.

Presiding judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng ordered Mulder to produce the payslip ofNtanzi for October 2014 to determine if the accused received a full pay for the day he worked two hours.

The trial continues.