Five men accused in the Senzo Miiwa murder trial stand in the dock at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Photo by Phil Magakoe / Gallo
- The messages seemed to show that Kelly Kumalo was unhappy with her relationship with Senzo Miiwa.
- The SMS showed that Khumalo had tried to end the relationship with Miyiwa before he was killed.
- Five men are being tried for his murder.
Mobile phone messages between Kelly Kumalo and her sister Zandile, which were unsealed in Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday, painted a picture of Kelly frustrated with her lover, Senzo Miiwa.
At one point, I tried to break up with him via SMS, but it never went through.
On Friday, advocate Zithulele Nxumalo for Mthokoziseni Maphisa continued his cross-examination with Zandile, who is the state’s first witness.
Mavisa, Muzikawkhulwa Sibia, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthubesi Prince Mnkubi and Sifisukuhle Nkani Ntuli are on trial for allegedly killing the Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates superstar in 2014.
They face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a license and possession of ammunition.
Nxumalo asked Zandile to tell the court about Kelly’s relationship with Meyiwa.
“All I can say is that their relationship was normal, which had its ups and downs, just like any other relationship,” she said.
Read | Zandile Kumalo told the court that she did not remember what the defendant was wearing
Nxumalo then scrolled through text messages downloaded from Kelly and Zandile’s phones.
In one of Kelly’s text messages to Zandelle, she told her sister how she regretted her relationship with Miiwa.
“I regret the day I let Senzo into my life. Now look at all his lies ruining our lives…
“I am emotionally drained. Sometimes I feel like Senzo got a dark cloud in my life. I regret not ending things with him.
“When the SMS was not sent when I tried to end things with him, I feel like God is deliberately sabotaging me by keeping this man in my life,” read a text read by Nxumalo.
Asked what was going on when these messages were sent to her, Zandelle said she wasn’t entirely sure.
She added that her observation was that Miiwa was not an honest man.
What I do know is that Senzo loved Kelly, Kelly loved Senzo.
“It didn’t go well with Kelly because Senzo wasn’t honest enough to choose between her and Mandisa because when he was with one of [of the two women]He would say one thing to another and another to another.
“It was back and forth between the two,” Zandel told the court.
In another message Kelly sent to Zandelle, she texted: “Senzo’s mum is talking to every radio station in Durban, saying it would be my fault if she died of a heart attack. Can you believe this woman?”
When Niksumalu asks her what was going on, Zandile replies by saying she isn’t sure, but it may be her sister confides in her.
“What I do know is that sisters talk. When one thing bothers the other, she’ll tell the other,” she said.
Zandel told the court that Kelly was madly in love with Miiwa, despite the challenges.
Read | Zandile Kumalo, defending how much she drank, fought with the robbers
She said, “Kelly couldn’t let go of Senzo, even though he was dishonest. What I do know about my sister is that when my sister loves someone, she loves out loud, with everything she has,” she said.
The trial resumed this week after the first trial was cancelled.
The judge who had previously presided over the case, Judge Chefewa Momila, fell ill, and it became apparent that he would not be able to continue presiding over it.
Maumela was suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The trial continues.