Criminal: Lawyer links Kelly Khumalo to Meyiwa killing

There were two dramatic developments in separate matters involving the lawyer acting for the accused in the high-profile Senzo Meyiwa trial, notes Legalbrief. In the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria), where the Meyiwa murder case is being heard, Advocate Malesela Teffo claimed a witness will testify that musician Kelly Khumalo allegedly shot and killed Senzo Meyiwa accidently at her mother’s home in Vosloorus. Teffo, who made headlines last month when he was arrested in the same court for contempt of court in an earlier matter, has asked the presiding magistrate to recuse himself.

During the cross-examination of Sergeant Thabo Mosia, Teffo said he had an eyewitness that would testify that Khumalo pulled the trigger that eventually led to Meyiwa’s death. The Citizen reports that Mosia, a forensic police officer who processed the crime scene, said he had no response to the claim. Meyiwa was Khumalo’s boyfriend at the time of his death. Despite this, Teffo stuck to his claims against Khumalo, telling the court that the murder weapon was brought into the house by Longwe Twala – the son of music icon Chicco Twala. At the time of Meyiwa’s murder, Longwe Twala was dating Khumalo’s sister Zandi. They were among the seven people who were inside the Vosloorus home when the soccer star was allegedly killed in what was described as a botched robbery. During his cross-examination of Mosia, Teffo told the court the seven people should be arrested and questioned for Meyiwa's murder. He added that the seven helped to allegedly cover up the murder by contaminating the crime scene before police arrived.

Teffo has also brought an application for the presiding magistrate in his contempt case to recuse himself, leading to another delay in the matter. EWN reports that Teffo made a brief appearance in the Hillbrow Magistrate's Court. Last month, he was arrested inside the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) for being in contempt of court. He is facing a common assault charge and trespassing. The matter has been postponed to 8 July for submissions. Teffo's legal representative, Tshepo Thobane, told the court that they have laid a complaint against Magistrate Bradshaw with the Magistrates' Commission. Thobane said because of the complaint, Bradshaw could not preside over Friday’s (today's) appearance. But Bradshaw said he was not aware of a complaint and that was only aware of a recusal application from May last year, which he was ready to deal with. Today’s sitting was for that application to be heard but both the state's lawyer and the defence told the court the matter was new to them, and they needed time to prepare.