PRETORIA - A gun confiscated from accused number 3 in the Senzo Meyiwa murder was meant to be destroyed.
This emerged in the testimony of a police officer who works in an evidence storage facility at the Cleveland Police Station in Johannesburg.
Bonginkosi Mtshali told the court that an instruction was given in 2017 that the firearm be forfeited to the state and destroyed.
The firearm is the one the State says was taken from accused number 3, Mthobisi Mncube during his arrest in 2015 for an unrelated case.
Mtshali says that did not happen due to several delays, which included a missing serial number.
He says the same weapon was later booked in for analysis by the investigating officer in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case in July 2020.
Mtshali is expected to face questions when the trial resumes on Friday.
Meanwhile, the defence has requested that lead forensic investigator, Thabo Mosia be called back to the stand after discrepancies emerged between his work registers and evidence in court.