By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The murder accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a separate matter.
Sibiya was sentenced to five years in prison on each count for possession of drugs and possession of unlicensed ammunition.
He appeared at the Tembisa Magistrates Court for sentencing.
Sibiya’s sentences will run concurrently with his current 12-year term for attempted murder from a 2017 conviction.
The charges stem from incidents in 2019 and 2020. Initially he was arrested for drug dealing in March 2019 in Tembisa, he was later found with nine bullets in his shack during a subsequent arrest in May 2020.
During the court proceedings, Magistrate Jerome Josephs recounted the evidence against Sibiya, noting the discovery of 10 bags of heroin and R500 in cash from alleged drug sales.
Sibiya, however, denied involvement in drug dealing. He also presented conflicting versions of the ammunition found in his shack, all of which were dismissed by the magistrate.
In a twist, the magistrate acquitted Sibiya of the drug dealing charge but found him guilty of the alternative charge of possession.
Sibiya is one of the five men accused in the ongoing murder trial of Meyiwa and will join his co-accused back in court on Monday, 22 January 2024 to resume the Meyiwa trial-within-a-trial.