The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumes today in the Pretoria High Court after a heated day of testimony from accused number one, Muzi Sibiya.
The court is expected to continue hearing his cross-examination by the state as the long-running case into the 2014 killing of the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper nears its final stages.
Sibiya told the court on Wednesday that he was never informed of his rights when he was arrested and maintains that police fabricated evidence against him.
He said Sergeant Vusimuzi Mogane’s earlier claim that he explained Sibiya’s rights was “not true.”
Sibiya also disputed the accuracy of the written statement read by the prosecution, arguing that it contained the wrong name.
“In this statement that you read out now, it’s written Muzi Themba Sibiya, and that is not my name. I have never been named Themba in my life. The surname is mine, but the name is not mine, so they were not referring to me,” Sibiya told the court.
State prosecutor Advocate George Baloyi pressed him on this point, asking if the signature on the statement was his. “Yes, it’s mine,” Sibiya admitted, “but when a police officer says, ‘sign here,’ what do you do? You just sign.”
The day’s testimony grew more tense as Baloyi challenged Sibiya’s claim that he did not understand English, noting that he had completed matric and used English at the bank. Sibiya responded that while he could follow some English, he did not fully understand it.
“I can hear English, but I don’t have a full understanding of some things,” he said.
The court also heard that Sibiya rejected the state’s claim that he confessed to the murder and later led police to a traditional healer, known as “Mkhulu,” in Palm Ridge.
Police allege the visit took place a day after his supposed confession, but Sibiya insists he never made one and met the healer for the first time in court.
Sibiya’s defence lawyer, Advocate Charles Mnisi, intervened multiple times to challenge the relevance of the prosecution’s questions, arguing that some related to unrelated incidents in Tembisa.
“This is unfair, my lord. The confessions were only related to the death of Senzo Meyiwa. What happened in Tembisa has got nothing to do with this,” Mnisi said.
Sibiya’s cross-examination is expected to continue today, with the court likely to revisit evidence linking him to the alleged confession and the role of witness Lion Zwane.
Zwane, who testified in 2023, confirmed knowing Sibiya but failed to identify him in court. The link between the two men remains crucial to the state’s argument tying Sibiya to the confession he continues to reject.
The Senzo Meyiwa case, now in its third year of trial, concerns the 2014 murder of the football star, who was shot at the home of his girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus.
Five men, including Sibiya, face charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Proceedings resume at 10:00 SAST, with Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng expected to oversee further questioning of Sibiya and review submissions on whether his alleged confession was lawfully obtained.
Watch the live stream below:
