Autopsy Report – Senzo Meyiwa’s cause of death revealed
“He probably would’ve survived seconds, minutes, not hours,” says Dr Johannes Steenkamp on Senzo Meyiwa’s cause of death.
Pathologist Dr Johannes Steenkamp revealed Senzo Meyiwa’s cause of death before the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, 29 August 2023.
The seasoned pathologist offered a detailed report on the cause of death of the former Orlando Pirates star, who was shot on 26 October 2014 in Vosloorus at the home of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo.
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SENZO MEYIWA’S CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED
The court heard that the primary causes of death were heavy blood loss and lung and heart damage.
He revealed that Meyiwa was shot at close range, and the firearm was likely pressed against him at arm’s length – that’s why the gun residue powder got into his skin, forming a wound that looked like a bullet entrance.
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Dr Steenkamp noted that the bullet damaged Senzo Meyiwa’s right lung and heart tissues. He has it that the star had internal bleeding caused by damaged tissues around his heart.
Dr Steenkamp pulled a shocker when he revealed that the nature of the wound only allowed Senzo Meyiwa to survive a matter of seconds or minutes, ruling out the possibility that he survived hours.
Dr Steenkamp said: “I think, in this case, he was a fit young man. He probably would’ve survived seconds, minutes, definitely not hours.”
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SHOT FROM THE FRONT AT CLOSE RANGE
In the previous court sittings, Zandile Khumalo seemingly revealed that Senzo was alive when they rushed him to the hospital.
He dispelled the notion by witnesses that he was shot from the back. Dr Steenkamp’s findings suggested that he was shot from the front and at close range, possibly an arm’s distance.