Use of calls made via internet sparks debate in Senzo Meyiwa murder trial
The court has been hearing evidence on cellphone data linking the accused to the alleged mastermind behind the football star’s murder- his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo.
The witness stand at the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial taken on on 15 May 2023. Picture: Kgomotso Modise/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The use of calls made via the internet has sparked debate in the Senzo Meyiwa trial where cellphone evidence is being heard.
The court has been hearing evidence on cellphone data linking the accused to the alleged mastermind behind the football star’s murder, his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo.
The defence insists State cellphone analyst, Colonel Lambertus Steyn, fabricated and manipulated the data, planting calls that had not been made.
But he has denied this, saying he had nothing to gain.
One of the reasons given by Steyn on why certain calls could be seen on the State’s cellphone data but could not be detected by Vodacom, is because the call had been made via BlackBerry net and not through airtime.
The lawyer for Fisokuhle Ntuli, advocate Zandile Mshololo, honed in on the alleged call between Ntuli and Khumalo.
Steyn said this call was made via WhatsApp call, something Mshololo latched onto.
“Your fabrication is not going to take you anywhere, WhatsApp call was not operational in 2014 – there was no WhatsApp call. I can’t agree my lord.”
Steyn said he uses the term internet call and WhatsApp call interchangeably as both are not made via airtime.
As the State sought to clarify this during re-examination, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng told the defence to bring its own expert to dispute Steyn’s testimony.