Senzo Meyiwa trial | Accused one claims police coerced him into confessing

Accused number one in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Muzi Sibiya – says he never voluntarily pointed out the scene where the Bafana Bafana captain was allegedly killed — claiming police instructed him to do so.

Testifying for a second day at the Pretoria High Court, Sibiya maintained that he had no involvement in the 2014 fatal shooting.

He and four other suspects remain in custody, charged with the murder of the Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, who was gunned down while visiting his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus 11 years ago.

As he continued to share his version of events leading up to and during his time in police custody, Sibiya told the court that officers conspired to falsely link him to Meyiwa’s murder.

He alleged that he was assaulted on at least three occasions after denying any knowledge of the incident.

Sibiya told the court that during the pointing-out process, he was coerced by investigators, who instructed him on where to point as they took photographs.

He also disputed Lieutenant Colonel Nkosikhona Rhadebe’s testimony — delivered earlier during the prosecution’s case — which claimed that Sibiya responded to questions during the pointing-out.

Sibiya denied this, stating that no questions were asked, nor were any answers recorded.

He said that on the morning of 5 June 2020, police released him from Valeria Police Station in Pretoria and drove him to the Vosloorus municipal offices. There, he claimed, he was again assaulted after refusing to implicate himself.

“It never happened like that. There are no questions which he asked me or any responses he was recording down on the paper. I don’t even remember if he was the one who told me his surname or if it was the police officers who told me. He never asked me any questions and I never saw him recording any responses on that paper,” said Sibiya.

He testified that upon arrival, he was told to exit the vehicle and sit on the ground. Officers, including two named as Bongani and Mogane, allegedly instructed him to show them where Meyiwa had died.

Sibiya said he told them he didn’t know and maintained he had no knowledge of the murder — prompting another assault involving plastic suffocation and physical beating.

He added that the same June 5th 2020 morning, police released him from the Valeria Police Station in Pretoria and drove him to the Vosloorus municipal offices, where he was allegedly assaulted again for denying involvement in the murder.

“I just saw the car we were in driving into the Vosloorus municipal offices’ yard. That’s when they then instructed me to come out of the vehicle when we had arrived. Then I was told to sit down on the floor and Bongani and Mogane told me they want me to show them where Senzo Meyiwa had died. I then informed them that I don’t know where he died and that I know nothing about his death. They then assaulted me again and put a plastic over my head and then some of them started kicking me,” he said.

According to police records, Sibiya was later transported to Alberton Police Station — about 71 kilometres from Valeria — four hours later.

Sibiya also denies ever giving a formal statement to the police regarding Meyiwa’s murder.

At a previous court session during a trial-within-a-trial, Colonel Mhlanganyelwa Mbotho testified that he was instructed by lead investigator Brigadier Bongani Gininda to take a statement from Sibiya. Mbotho claimed that Sibiya provided personal details, which were read back to him before he signed the document.

But Sibiya refuted these claims, insisting they were false and that he was never read his rights.

He testified that Mbotho merely asked if he knew anything about Meyiwa’s death. When Sibiya said no, he was instructed to sign the document without knowing its contents. He said his hands were still tied, and only after officers saw that his wrists were bleeding from handcuffs, did they untie him so he could sign.

Sibiya is expected to resume his testimony tomorrow morning.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao