Court hears Longwe Twala killed Senzo Meyiwa and ran away

A statement approved by Tumelo Madlala suggests that Longwe, the son of musician Chicco Twala, killed Senzo Meyiwa and ran off.

This damning evidence was revealed by the defence counsel for accused number one to four, Timothy Thobane, during the cross-examination of Madlala at the high court in Pretoria on Monday.

In the statement, Madlala alleges that he could not disclose that Longwe had killed Meyiwa, because he did not have a firearm.

The statement reads: “I was for the first time to see Longwe Twala, and I did not tell anyone or the Meyiwa family that Senzo was killed by Longwe Twala, because he did not have a firearm with him, instead he ran away.”

Thobane asked Madlala to explain what made him to put this in writing, to which Madlala said the statement was written by a police officer.

Madlala said he only answered the questions and the officer penned the statement. This despite having agreed before giving his response that indeed he signed and approved all his statements.

Madlala asked that all the questions about that paragraph be addressed to the police officer who wrote the statement.

Thobane asked: “You accepted [that] this statement is yours. How did it come about that you said those things?”

To which Madlala answered: “You should ask that question to the person who took my statement, because I do not recall.”

The trial resumes on Tuesday.