Senzo Meyiwa’s Cause of Death Revealed: Shocking Autopsy Report Unveiled in Court
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria was gripped with somber revelations as the murder trial of the five men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa, the former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, resumed on Tuesday.
Dr Johannes Steenekamp took the stand as a new state witness, shedding light on the post-mortem results that disclosed the tragic circumstances surrounding Senzo Meyiwa’s death. Former Orlando Pirates Goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa died due to blood loss
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Cause of Death: Seconds, Not Hours
Pathologist Dr Johannes Steenekamp delivered a detailed account of Senzo Meyiwa’s cause of death, unveiling a heartbreaking narrative.
The former Bafana Bafana captain met his untimely death due to heavy blood loss and significant damage to his lung and heart tissues, News24 reveals.
The fatal shot, fired at close range, left residue powder embedded in his skin, forming a wound that mimicked a bullet entrance.
“I say that due to the fact a muzzle is pressed against the skin, all the elements that’s the gas, the heat, the gunpowder are driven into the skin.”
According to the doctor, the bullet entered Meyiwa’s body in the front in a downward trajectory “in an acute angle” tearing the right chamber of the heart.
The bullet, which exited through the back, also partially tore the right coronary artery, the pathologist said.
“It then bruised the upper lobe of the right lung,” he explained, adding the bullet further tore the lower lobe, which caused bleeding into the soft tissues.
Dr. Steenekamp revealed that the bullet’s trajectory caused critical damage to Senzo Meyiwa’s right lung and heart, triggering internal bleeding from the surrounding damaged tissues.
He further stated that Senzo Meyiwa’s injuries were so severe that his survival was limited to mere seconds or minutes, unequivocally ruling out any possibility of surviving hours.
“In this case, he was a fit young man. He probably would’ve survived seconds, minutes, definitely not hours,” Dr Steenekamp said, painting a grim picture of the tragic incident.
Contradictions Addressed: Shot from the Front
Disputing earlier suggestions that Senzo Meyiwa was shot from behind, Dr. Steenekamp’s findings pointed toward a different reality. It was revealed that the fatal shot was delivered from the front and at close range.
Steenekamp further indicated the cause of the death was consistent with a bullet wound through the chest and the heart.