The bullet that was allegedly used in the gun that the former South African National Defence Force (SANDF) reservist fired to kill his wife, Tania Zungu, is said to be a specific type of bullet that is designed to expand, deform, and look like a mushroom.

This was revealed to the Pinetown Regional Court during the murder trial of Tania, who was allegedly shot dead by her husband, Lwanda Zungu, on January 3, 2023. The State alleges that Tania was shot while her mother and her two children were in the house. 

Captain Solomon Kgotlaetsile Modisane, who is a senior forensic analyst in the South African Police Service, led his evidence-in-chief on Wednesday.

Modisane said that after the crime scene reconstruction, studying the photos on the compact discs provided by the Local Criminal Record Centre, and the post-mortem report by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, he concluded that Tania sustained eight bullet entry wounds and three bullet exit wounds. 

“Seven bullet entry wounds into the left upper neck. One bullet entry wound on the left breast, left upper nipple. One large bullet exit wound on the right neck. Two bullet exit wounds on the right base of the neck. The large bullet exit wound on the right neck was caused by multiple bullets that exited in the same area, causing an irregular bullet exit wound,” he explained. 

Additionally, Modisane said the irregular bullet exit wound was also a result of the type of ammunition/bullet used; the bullet jacket retrieved from this large exit bullet wound is of a hollow-point type.

“These types of bullets are designed to expand on impact with the target. The hollow tip allows the bullet to deform, making it look more like a mushroom, slowing the bullet, giving more sloping power, and causing a wider wound cavity and maximum transfer of kinetic energy into a soft target,” he explained. 

Modisane said the statement by Tania’s mom, Gwen Msane, that she heard her daughter screaming, saying that Lwanda was hitting her, and that as she entered their bedroom (Tania and Zungu’s bedroom) after the shots were fired, she noticed that her daughter was lying on the bed and Zungu was standing on the bed. 

“This statement by Msane is most possibly true. This statement is supported by the evidence collected and documented, and what I observed during my reconstruction of the crime scene,” he said.

Modisane said the wounds sustained by Tania were not self-inflicted but inflicted by another person.

The trial will continue in early September.

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za

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