The first accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, took the witness stand in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday, showing the court what he claims are wounds inflicted by police during his arrest.
Sibiya, testifying as the first defence witness, alleged that he was brutally assaulted by officers who forced him to sign a confession he says he never made.
According to the state’s case, Sibiya confessed to the murder.
Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli are on trial for Meyiwa’s 2014 murder. The state alleges they acted in furtherance of a common purpose. They have all pleaded not guilty.
Sibiya showed the court scars on his wrists, saying they were caused when police handcuffed him and beat him.
“Colonel Nhlanganyelwa Mbotho told the officers to unarrest my hands so I can sign. He was shocked when he saw the blood and wounds,” Sibiya told the court.
According to Mbotho’s earlier testimony, Sibiya voluntarily confessed to the crime and showed no visible injuries at the time. But Sibiya denies ever being read his rights or making a confession, insisting he was coerced into signing an unknown document.
He further alleged that in 2020, police dragged him from his home and drove him to municipal offices in Vosloorus, where he was questioned about Meyiwa’s murder.
“As I told them, I didn’t know anything about Senzo’s murder. One of them took a plastic bag and covered my nose with it, and I couldn’t breathe. As they were covering my nose, others were busy kicking me”, Sibiya told the court.
The court adjourned until Wednesday when Sibiya said he was tired and struggling to respond coherently to questions.
Meyiwa was with his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo at her mother’s house in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, when he was murdered.
Sibiya, 42, has a lengthy criminal history.
In August 2025, the Pietermaritzburg regional court sentenced him and a co-accused to life imprisonment plus 80 years for a post office robbery and murder in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal.
He was sentenced to 12 years in 2022 for attempted murder after shooting at two people in Vosloorus, and has been linked to several taxi-related killings.
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