An autopsy presented during the ongoing inquest into the murder of South African footballer Senzo Meyiwa has ruled out his then girlfriend Kelly Khumalo as a possible shooter, as it revealed that the person who fired at the former Orlando Pirates captain was taller than him.
Pathologist Dr Johannes Steenkamp told the Pretoria High Court on 29 August that Meyiwa was shot at close distance, leading to heavy blood loss, lung and heart damage.
Steenkamp, who examined Meyiwa two days after his death, said he died a few minutes after he was shot.
“The heart and the lungs are important organs. This type of injury can cause a fatality, sometimes instantaneously. I think, in this case, he was a fit young man. He probably would’ve survived seconds, minutes, definitely not hours.”
Describing Meyiwa’s position when he was shot, the doctor said: “The deceased could have moved forwards and slightly bent down at the waist if the accused was standing right in front of him or he could have tried to push the firearm away from his body, pulling it downwards, backwards and lateral position.”
Muzikawulahlelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Ntuli are the five men accused of the 2014 murder of the Bafana star.