By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial got underway with defence calling its first witness in the Pretoria High Court on Monday, 13 October 2025.
It’s been almost three months since the State closed its case after two years of leading witnesses against the five accused.
The five men – Muzi Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa, and Fisokuhle Ntuli are charged with Meyiwa’s 2014 murder at the home of his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo.
When the trial was postponed in September, the lawyer for two of the accused, Advocate Charles Mnisi, promised that he would be ready to call his first witness on Monday morning and to continue with the trial.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng offered to make an order to force the defence witnesses to make themselves available for consultation, which the defence welcomed.
During the proceedings, Sibiya was the first defence witness to take the stand. He maintained his innocence and allegeed that he was coerced into signing a confession through intimidation and physical assault by police officers.
He also detailed his associations with the other co-accused, stating that while he was familiar with three of them due to geographic and family ties, he had never met Mncube prior to their court appearance in October 2020.
Sibiya further elaborated his relationship with the other three co-accused.
“Ntanzi’s village is not far from mine. So people from my village know people from his village even though we’re not close with each other. Maphisa is from my maternal side where she was born so whenever I went to my mom’s home I would see Maphisa. I am related to Ntuli from my mother’s side, however from a distance. He calls my mom aunty, “said Sibiya.
Sibiya said his first encounter with police was when they were investigating the 2014 murder of Meyiwa.
He explained that while sitting outside a shop in Tembisa’s Vusimuzi section, he was approached by two law enforcement officers — identified as Mrs. Baloyi and Mr. Mdau — who arrived in a taxi.
“There was about five of us gents sitting in front of the shop when this taxi suddenly appeared which then swung its sliding door open. Soon after the taxi stopped, officials wearing civilian clothes jumped out, whipped out, and bridged their firearms,” Sibiya explained.
Sibiya said he attempted to flee out of fear of being shot, but was quickly apprehended by one of the officers, who grabbed him from behind by his shirt. He was then handcuffed with his hands behind his back while lying on the ground.
He claims he was forcefully placed into the taxi, which was being driven by a uniformed police officer, before being taken to an office in Kloorkop. There, he was instructed to sit on the floor and respond to a series of questions.
“They asked what I know about Senzo Meyiwa’s death and then I replied by saying I don’t know anything. They then stated to me that I killed Senzo and then I disagreed and said I never killed him,” said Sibiya.
He believes police suspected him of involvement in Meyiwa’s murder because he moved from Vosloorus to Tembisa shortly after the incident. However, he told officers the move was due to losing his job and seeking new opportunities.
Sibiya said he was then taken to another office, where he was questioned by four other officials — whom he identified as Sibiya, Makhubo, Leshabane, and Zungu. He claims they also accused him of involvement in the murder, which he repeatedly denied.
“They took my fingerprints and then told me that should they find that my fingerprints link me to the murder, they will then come back to charge me with the murder. I was then taken to Tembisa South Police” Station where they charged me with drug dealing. I slept there until the day I had to appear in court, he said.
He said he was re-arrested in May of 2020, where he claims to have been assaulted again at the Tembisa Police Station.
He alleges that police officers suffocated him by covering his face with a plastic bag, trampled on him while he was handcuffed, and beat him until he lost control of his bladder.
He further testified that he was never informed of his rights and claimed that the lead investigator in the case, Brigadier Bongani Gininda, told him there was reason to believe he was involved in the murder of Meyiwa.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Meyiwa was with his girlfriend Khumalo at her mother’s house in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, when he was murdered. They were relaxing over lunch and watching a soccer match with Kelly’s sister Zandile, Zandile’s then-boyfriend Twala, and two of Meyiwa’s friends who were visiting from KwaZulu-Natal.
The occupants of the house told police that two robbers entered, demanding cash and cellphones, before Meyiwa was shot in a scuffle with one of the intruders.
Khumalo’s link to the case remains as a point of interest. While she has publicly denied involvement, even challenging authorities to arrest her if they believe she played a role, her presence at the crime scene and public statements have kept her in the spotlight, with critics questioning why she has not been called to testify.