Cellphone Evidence Takes Centre Stage in Senzo Meyiwa Trial as Witness Says Two Devices Were Not in Same Tower Area
PRETORIA – Cellphone records have taken centre stage in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, with the High Court in Pretoria hearing detailed evidence comparing the movements of two devices on 26 October 2014, the day the former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was killed.
The court on Wednesday examined call records, cellphone towers and the movements associated with numbers ending in 0821 and 8169 as a witness was taken through data covering different periods of that day.
One of the most striking moments came when the witness was asked whether the two devices being compared were in the same place.
The witness answered: “No.”
He explained that the devices were not within the same coverage area of the cellphone towers reflected in the records.
The evidence comes amid an intense legal battle over cellphone records belonging to the late Mabhungu Ntuli.
The State has sought to use Ntuli’s cellphone records to challenge the version of accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube, that he was with Ntuli on the day Meyiwa was killed.
Court Tracks Phone Across Different Towers
During Wednesday’s testimony, the court was taken through a series of transactions associated with the number ending in 0821.
At one stage, the witness said the device had remained within the coverage area of the same tower.
Asked to comment on its movement, he told the court:
“It utilised only one tower, so I wouldn’t be saying it was moving from one tower to another.”
He said it appeared to have remained within the coverage area of the Ndayeni tower.
The picture later changed.
According to the evidence, the number ending in 0821 subsequently registered activity through other towers, including Tembisa Plaza, Enflanzeni and Festival Mall.
The court heard that a transaction at approximately 09:50 used the Tembisa Plaza tower before another transaction approximately 15 minutes later was associated with Ndayeni.
The witness was repeatedly asked to interpret what changes between towers could indicate about the movement of a device.
Two Devices Compared
The proceedings became particularly significant when the cellphone information for the number ending in 0821 was compared with records contained in another exhibit relating to the number ending in 8169.
At different points during the morning, the records showed the devices using different towers.
The witness explained that if two devices were within the same tower location, the records would be expected to reflect the same tower name.
Later, after evidence concerning movement between towers was examined, the witness was directly asked whether the two devices were in the same place.
He responded:
“No.”
The witness added:
“They were not within the same coverage area of the towers.”
The evidence does not by itself establish the precise physical position of a person. Rather, the testimony before court concerns the cellphone towers through which the devices were communicating and the coverage areas associated with those towers.
Why the Cellphone Records Matter
The latest testimony follows a dispute over additional cellphone evidence in the long-running murder trial.
The State has argued that cellphone records belonging to the late Mabhungu Ntuli are relevant because they could challenge Mncube’s account of his movements and who he was with on 26 October 2014.
The court subsequently ordered that an expert witness be called to assist it in considering the cellphone evidence.
The defence has the opportunity to challenge the evidence through cross-examination.
Meyiwa was shot and killed in Vosloorus on 26 October 2014.
Five men are standing trial in connection with his murder and have pleaded not guilty.
As the trial continues, the detailed cellphone evidence is expected to remain under scrutiny as the court considers what, if anything, the records establish about the movements of the relevant devices on the day Meyiwa was killed.
