Senzo Meyiwa trial: 1 accused alleges police brutality and coerced confession
Accused 1 claims assault and forced confession during trial-within-a-trial
During the Senzo Meyiwa trial one of the five men accused of murdering th Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, has testified in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, alleging severe assault and a coerced confession by the police.
One of the five men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, testified about how police tortured him so that he can confess to the murder.
The court is currently engaged in a trial-within-a-trial to determine the the validity of Sibiya’s confession statement, made following his arrest in May 2020.
The accused denies the validity of the confession.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, says he was forced to confess after experiencing intense pressure and violence.
Sibiya recounted the events that transpired after his arrest on May 31, 2020, in Thembisa, stating:
“I never confessed to killing Senzo, I told them I don’t know anything, and they assaulted me by tubing me.”
He further claimed that the assault involved kicking him while he lay on the floor, and it lasted for over 30 minutes to an hour.
His legal representative, advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, questioned him about the duration of the assault, to which Sibiya responded:
“They did whatever they wanted to me for quite some time, it could have been over 30 minutes to an hour.”
“They kept asking me what I knew about Senzo’s death.”
“I said I don’t know anything. As they continued with the plastic, that’s when I urinated on myself.”
Contrary to the police’s testimony, Sibiya asserted that he was taken back to his shack to change his clothes.
“I showed them where I kept my underwear, my pants, and they undressed me and dressed me in fresh clothes and also changed my shoes,” he explained.
Sibiya’s account contradicted Sergeant Bathobakae Mogola’s earlier testimony, who claimed Sibiya changed into jeans at the Diepkloof Police Station to avoid his expensive Brentwood pants being stolen in prison.
The accused further claimed that the assault continued until he started bleeding before he was taken to retired Colonel Mhlanganyelwa Mbotho, who took down his statement.
The allegations of police brutality and a coerced confession complicate the case
Sibiya alleged that Mbotho did nothing to help him and, after questioning, the handcuffs were loosened, and he was forced to sign papers.
“I didn’t keep count; I just signed because I was trying to stay alive,” Sibiya concluded.
He disclosed to the court that this was not the first time he had been assaulted by the police, asserting that a similar incident occurred in June 2019 during a drug-related arrest.
Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya
Despite previous police brutality, Sibiya claimed he refused to confess to Meyiwa’s murder during the first assault.
What’s next for the Senzo Meyiwa trial
The Senzo Meyiwa trial is set to continue with the State cross-examining Sibiya.
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