Ballistic expert Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Mangena has reaffirmed that the marks on test bullets he fired match those found at the crime scene where Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa was murdered. Mangena's testimony came during cross-examination at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, where five men are on trial for the 2014 murder.
Mangena, who has linked the crime scene bullet to a firearm seized from accused number 3, Mthobisi Mncube, faced skepticism from defense counsel Charles Mnisi. Mnisi challenged Mangena’s conclusions, suggesting that their ballistic expert had reached a different and potentially more accurate conclusion. “With all due respect, I’m going to put it to you that you had it all wrong. This will become evident as the matter progresses,” Mnisi asserted.
The defense also questioned Mangena about his decision not to interview eyewitnesses at the murder scene. When asked why he did not interview individuals present inside the house on the day of the murder, Mangena explained that he had only conducted interviews after compiling his report, about a year later. He stated, “I reconstructed the incident based on physical evidence. I didn’t take anyone’s statement or version of the incident. I based it on evidence at the crime scene.”
Mnisi pressed Mangena on whether interviewing witnesses would have been crucial for scene reconstruction, to which Mangena responded that he preferred relying on physical evidence, as witnesses might provide varying accounts.
Additionally, Mangena denied any bias towards the state, as suggested by Mnisi. He is expected to continue his testimony this morning.
