PRETORIA - The use of technology in solving crime came into sharp focus in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial this week.
This as the state delved into a web of intricate cell phone data to refute claims and alibis of those accused of the soccer star’s 2014 killing.
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In a surprise turn, cell phone data placed alleged trigger man Mthobisi Mncube far away from the scene at the time of the shooting while corroborating another accused’s alibi.
The state’s case alleges a contractual hit on Senzo Meyiwa's life that it says involved all of the accused.
For the past few weeks, it's led evidence linking them and the alleged mastermind.
Their case paints accused 3, Mthobisi Mncube, as the gun-wielding intruder who shot and killed Meyiwa with accused 5, Fisokuhle Ntuli, named as the co-ordinator. It says that plot was masterminded by Meyiwa's then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo.
A previous state witness, Constable Sizwe Zungu, placed all of the accused at a hostel in Vosloorus on the day of the shooting.
Cell phone data now places both Ntuli and Mncube in Johannesburg in the crucial hours before the murder.
This corroborates Ntuli's claims that he was in the city that afternoon, casting doubt on Zungu's claims.
The data also places Mncube far from the crime, revealing his phone was inactive from 7pm that evening with his last location in Johannesburg.
But the state was quick to suggest a possible reason for this. Crucial to the state's case is alleged communication between the two men on the day of the shooting.
Earlier evidence showed three calls between the pair with two of them in Vosloorus. But data now shows a fourth call by Ntuli using another number he admitted was his.
In another twist, the court heard that Mncube’s phone pinged a few metres from the crime scene a month after the murder, suggesting he knew the area well.
The towers cast doubt on accused 2, Bongani Ntanzi's, denial that a cell phone was found in his possession eight months after his arrest. It held data showing communication between him and a number he says was his girlfriend.
The state argues that's the number Ntanzi used to communicate with some of the accused.
It's expected the state will delve deeper into the intricate web of communication between the accused when the matter resumes on Tuesday.