Former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates shot stopper and captain Senzo Meyiwa’s murder accused, Muzi Sibiya, has narrated how the police starved him when they took him on road trips.
Sibiya said this while being led by his lawyer, advocate Charles Mnisi, on the third day of his testimony at the Pretoria High Court. He used the past two days to recount how police allegedly tortured him to confess to murdering Meyiwa.
He told the court that he was out with the police when they were conducting investigations, and they never offered him food or water for 12 hours.
Never offered food for 12 hours
According to Sibiya, he was kept at a police station in Pretoria. And on the morning of June 5 2020 he was booked out in the morning and came back after 6 pm.
Mnisi asked if Sibiya was ever offered food or drink on that day.
“On more than three occasions you said the police were busy with the investigations going with you, I have not heard you speak about getting food or water. Did they offer it to you?” Mnisi asked.
“They never bought food nor water for me. I would go with them and only eat when I’m back at the police station where I was detained,” Sibiya responded.
Mnisi said the occurrence book [OB] showed that on the day Sibiya left at 8.01am and came back at 6.01pm.
Taken on trip KZN
“Meaning you were out for +-12 hours. Are you also saying that on that day, on 5 June 2020, they did not give you food or water for all the hours that you were out with them?”
“They never gave me food or water,” Sibiya said.
Mnisi said it was mentioned in the trial within a trial that Sibiya was taken to Nongoma, his hometown in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Do you still remember this day, and what was the purpose for you to be taken home?” he asked.
Sibiya said the day in reference was on June 6 2020.
“They said they wanted to take me home to see my parents. This was because my family did not know where I was and was not sure if I was dead or alive. So, they asked who I wanted to see, and I said my uncle, who was in Johannesburg. However, the police officers offered to take me home so that my parents know that I was still alive.
Parents got emotional when they saw him
“They arrived on Saturday. They drove to meet each other at Kempton Park at the airport, where we met Gininda and Mogane. And they were driving two cars, a Nissan and a Toyota Fortuner. I directed them on the way home, and when we were in KwaCeza, they went to the police station. They asked the police from there to accompany them,” he narrated.
Sibiya said when they arrived at his home, the police went inside the house and spoke to his parents. After that, his dad came to him in the car.
“He asked what had happened. I told him that I was arrested for something I did not know and that the police assaulted me. I showed him my injuries, and told him that they said I killed Senzo. However, I had no hand in that. My father cried because of the way I was and the fact that they had been looking for me in hospitals and prisons. But no one knew where I was,” he added.
When he spoke about his mother’s reaction when she saw him, Sibiya could not hold back his tears.
“My mother came, and I explained the same thing to her.” He paused and could not finish as he became emotional.
Mnisi requested for the court to adjourn for Sibiya to recompose himself.
