On Monday morning, the State’s ballistic expert, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Mangena, will present his findings on the firearm used in the murder of football star Senzo Meyiwa, and its connection to the crime scene. Mangena, who has been under cross-examination for the past week, will draw links between a bullet found at the scene of Meyiwa’s murder in October 2014 and a gun discovered at the home of one of the accused, Mthobisi Mncube.
Five men are on trial for the murder of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, which occurred at the home of his girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo. Advocate Charles Mnisi, leading the cross-examination, challenged Mangena’s ballistic analysis, arguing that the connection between the firearm found at Mncube’s home and the bullet found at Khumalo’s residence was tenuous.
Mangena defended his findings, asserting that the marks on the bullet provided sufficient evidence to establish a direct link. He also noted that if his findings were as dubious as suggested, his four colleagues would not have concurred with his conclusions.
Mangena is expected to present a chart illustrating the similarities between the exhibit bullet found at the crime scene and the test bullets fired from the suspect’s gun.