The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes today at the High Court in Pretoria, where accused number one, Muzi Sibiya, continues to face cross-examination from State prosecutor Advocate George Baloyi.
Sibiya has been on the witness stand for several weeks, giving his version of events about where he was when the Bafana Bafana captain was killed in October 2014.
On Wednesday, he was grilled about financial transactions made using his bank card that the State believes contradict his testimony.
Baloyi confronted Sibiya with transaction records showing several withdrawals made from his Standard Bank account in 2014. One specific transaction — a withdrawal of R1 340 from Nongoma Hardware in February 2014 — drew particular attention.
Sibiya, however, maintained that he was not the one who made that withdrawal.
“I left the card with Mbali, the mother of my child, so she could use it for the child’s maintenance,” Sibiya told the court.
“She had every right to withdraw money wherever she was.”
Sibiya explained that while he was living in KwaZulu-Natal at the time, Mbali used his card for everyday expenses. “The account contained both her transactions and mine,” he said.
“I would use it when I was in Gauteng, but when I was away, she kept it.”
Advocate Baloyi pressed Sibiya to clarify whether anyone else besides him or Mbali had access to the card. “No, it was just myself and Mbali,” Sibiya replied firmly.
The State, however, is using the bank records to test the reliability of Sibiya’s version of events.
Prosecutors are particularly focused on establishing whether Sibiya could have been in Gauteng at critical moments leading up to Senzo Meyiwa’s death, despite his insistence that he was in KwaZulu-Natal.
Baloyi also questioned Sibiya about whether he had replaced his bank card after giving it to Mbali. Sibiya responded that he had given her the card in 2013 and could not recall ever applying for a new one.
“If I did change it, after changing it, I gave it back to her because she was the one using my card in 2015,” he testified .
The court has heard over the past week how the accused’s statements have been tested against evidence from cellphone data, witness testimonies, and confession documents that the State claims were signed voluntarily.
Sibiya continues to deny that he confessed to the murder, alleging that police assaulted him to force an admission.
The prosecution is expected to continue probing inconsistencies between Sibiya’s statements and the evidence collected by investigators.
Today’s proceedings begin at 10:00 (SAST) and can be streamed live below:
