Advocate Sipho Ramosepele, representing the second accused in Bafana star Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Bongani Ntanzi, began his cross-examination of the first accused, Muzi Sibiya, on Thursday at the Pretoria High Court.
Ramosepele opened by asking Sibiya if he was aware that his co-accused had been arrested for this matter before they appeared at the Boksburg Magistrate’s court in 2020.
According to Sibiya, he only saw his co-accused when they appeared before the court.
Denies links to co-accused
“I did not know. The first time I saw them was when we were coming from the cells. I was not informed that I would be appearing with others,” he explained.
Ramosepele asked what his reaction was when he saw them.
“I was amazed,” Sibiya responded.
“You testified that you knew Ntanzi, Maphisa, and Ntuli before your appearance in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court, correct?” Ramosepele asked.
“Correct,” Sibiya said.
Ramosepele further asked him to clarify how long Sibiya had known Ntanzi before his first appearance in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court.
“I know Ntanzi from back home for a while. As I said, he is from a different village, and he is not my friend. He is much younger than me,” Sibiya stated.
“Is Ntanzi an acquaintance then?” Ramosepele further asked.
Sibiya said Ntanzi knew Gwabeni, and he got along with him.
Only linked to younger brother
“I am the brother to Gwabeni,” he added.
Sibiya further clarified that he had no communication, including telephonic communication, with Ntanzi in 2014.
“Did you have the number of Mr Ntanzi saved on your phone on 26 October 2014?” Ramosepele asked.
“No,” Sibiya said.
Ramosepele then questioned Sibiya about his arrest.
“Were you given a copy of your warrant of arrest?”
“No, I never had sight of it. They never showed me, they did not read it out to me. Nor was I informed why I was arrested for the drugs that were not there,” he stated.
“Did they inform you they were arresting you for the murder of Senzo Meyiwa?” asked Ramosepele.
Cops failed to state reasons for arrest
“No, I was never informed. They just assaulted me and asked what I knew about the death of Senzo Meyiwa,” Sibiya stated.
When questioned about his confiscated cellphones, Sibiya said he only saw his cellphone on May 31st 2020, when Sergeant Batho Mogola came in and asked him to insert the PIN to unlock it. After that, he never saw it again.
“Does the name Sadiki ring a bell?” asked Ramosepele.
“Yes, he is from Metro Police. Sadiki was present when I was arrested, in Vosloorus and Diepkloof. But when we arrived at the Valeria Police Station, he was not there,” Sibiya said.
“What role did he play in your assault?”
“He also participated in the assault, even when they covered my face with plastic. They were taking turns, even kicking me,” Sibiya alleged.
READ MORE: Senzo Meyiwa murder accused says cops starved him during road trips
