Pretoria High Court Judge in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case, Ratha Mokgoatlheng, has questioned the series of events as narrated by the first accused in the murder trial, Muzi Sibiya.
This after Sibiya told the court on Thursday that he was never offered food and water by the police who took him to his family home in June 2020, when he was arrested.
He further told the court that he was tortured by police officers so severely that he lost control of his bladder during interrogation.
Cross-examination
During cross-examination by defence advocate Sipho Ramosepele, Sibiya detailed the alleged assault and the events that followed.
According to Sibiya, police confiscated the clothes he had been wearing at the time. And he claimed that an officer named Mabena handled the clothing.
The cross-examination also turned to the controversial mention of singer Kelly Khumalo’s name during police questioning.
“In your evidence, when did the name Kelly Khumalo come to the fore in your interaction with police?” asked Ramosepele.
“I think I first heard the name in Tembisa,” he responded.
Sibiya added that police told him and others during questioning that there had been an agreement with Kelly to kill the deceased, referring to Meyiwa.
Singer Kelly Khumalo
When asked whether he knew Khumalo personally, Sibiya said he did not know her.
Mokgoatlheng asked for clarification from Sibiya about how the police did not offer him food.
“You do not have to answer it if you do not want to. But here is this guy called Gininda, who has mishandled you. And then suddenly he offers to take you to go and see your parents. This gentleman is a brigadier; it is a Saturday, and he goes with his juniors who report to him.
Judge questions food story
“But he suddenly shows this magnanimous effort on his part. He leaves his family, his children, and goes down with you for six to eight hours. They did not stop anywhere on the path to say ‘hey here is some water, here is some food, you can go and pass some water’,” said Mokgoatlheng.
And you drive back to Gauteng again, 16 hours with no food or drink, asked the judge.
“You do not have to answer; I am just wondering,” he stated.
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