By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The 31 year old, Tiffany Nicole Meek appeared at the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court in Johannesburg on Friday, 18 July.She was seeking bail, following the alleged murder of her son, 11-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek.
Meek told the court that she would plead “not guilty” and that she had an alibi.
“I never abused my child,” Meek declared through her attorney, challenging claims that she was responsible for her son’s death.
The prosecution outlined four counts against Meek of murder, crimen injuria, defeating the ends of justice and attempting to obstruct justice.
According to the charge sheet presented to the court, the state alleges that Meek struck her son with a blunt object, though the weapon has yet to be identified.
Forensic experts determined that Jayden-Lee was killed in his home. His body was found the following morning on the staircase near the home.
Through her attorney, Noven Naidoo, Meek pleaded not guilty to all charges and strongly denied suggestions that she was an abusive mother.
In her bail affidavit, read to the court, she maintained her innocence and expressed bewilderment at being accused of her son’s murder.
“I fail to understand how I could be charged with the murder of my son when I was the one fighting for answers and doing everything to ensure my son’s killer was found, “Meek said in her affidavit.
She denied any wrongdoing and emphasised her role as the person who reported Jayden-Lee missing and actively searched for him.
She told the court that Jayden-Lee was normally dropped off after school by his scholar transport between 3pm and 4pm.
Meek said that on 13 May 2025, her son had failed to return home from school by 4pm, which is when she finished work.
She said that at that time, she checked with her mother but found out that Jayden-Lee had not returned. Due to not having airtime, she asked her mother to contact the transport owner and driver to ascertain if Jayden-Lee was dropped off, and if there was an accident or delay.
“My mother contacted the transporter, but she was informed that Jayden was dropped off at about 2.40pm, “she said, adding that she started to panic and search for him in their complex.
“It was getting closer to 5pm and he had still not returned, and could not be seen in the common area,” Meek said.
She then approached the day shift guards, who informed her that they could not recall if Jayden-Lee entered the complex. But a neighbour confirmed having seen the boy enter the complex.
“My mother said she was preparing to collect me around 7pm with a motor vehicle, and we all went to Florida Police Station to report Jayden-Lee as missing,” Meek said.
Meek said the police said she needed to wait 24 to 48 hours to report him missing, and they also wanted a printed photograph before opening a docket. (Missing children can be reported at any time, despite some in the public and police believing there’s a waiting period.)
Meek said her son was found at around 6am but that the family was only contacted at approximately 6.50am.
“No one wanted to call the ambulance, and had it been called earlier, he could have still been alive,” Meek said.
Meek claimed the police failed her and that the family would enlist the services of a private investigator.
She said if released on bail, she would go and stay with her father in KwaZulu-Natal. She told the court that she believes she must clean up her tarnished name and that of her family.
The magistrate postponed the matter to Monday, 21 July 2025.
Across the country, South Africans are increasingly outraged by the rise in violence against children, and Meek’s case has become a lightning rod for that anger.