Muzi Sibiya, the first accused, is testifying at the Senzo Meyiwa trial. Image: Chriselda Lewis shared via X.
(The Post News)– With the first witness, accused number one Muzi Sibiya, testifying today at the High Court in Pretoria, the defense in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial formally began its case. Throughout the day, Sibiya adamantly denied any role in the 2014 murder of the Bafana Bafana captain, alleging that he was beaten by police and forced to sign a false confession.
Nearly three months after the state concluded its evidence against the five accused, the defense’s case finally got underway. Sibiya described his arrest in 2019, five years after Meyiwa was shot dead at Kelly Khumalo’s mother’s home in Vosloorus, while being questioned by his attorney, Advocate Charles Mnisi. He informed the court that he had been repeatedly assaulted by police in several places while he was being held.
Sibiya described an altercation with a key investigator, saying, “Mr. Gininda questioned me if I was still denying my involvement as soon as we got to that courtyard. I begged him to trust me when I said that I had no knowledge of Senzo Meyiwa’s murder.
In May 2020, the state claimed that Sibiya admitted to his involvement in the murder, even pointing to the place of the crime. He was supposed to serve as a lookout as two of his fellow suspects entered the Khumalo residence. But Sibiya alleges he was assaulted and coerced into signing a pre-written confession.
In addition, a court order requiring Legal Aid to pay for all defense witnesses’ lodging and transportation expenses during the trial’s resumption addressed a significant issue that had led to earlier postponements. Now that Sibiya has provided his account, the trial enters a crucial stage in which the court will compare the state’s evidence with the defense’s claims of innocence and torture.
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