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Sibonelo Myeza charged with the murder of ANCYL leader Sindiso Magaqa, appeared in Scottburgh High Court on the south coast of KwaZulu Natal with two other defendants not pictured Photo: Orrin Singh / Sunday Times
A former police officer arrested in connection with the murder of former ANCYL secretary general and later Umzimkhulu adviser Sindiso Magaqa in 2017 has been named in an alleged plot to assassinate the vice president of the Western Cape judge, Patricia Goliath.
This is a developing story.
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The inmate, Sibonelo Myeza, appears to be “untouchable” within the confines of the prison, an investigator found, and has denied sharing a cell with the complainant who exposed the alleged plot.
In a preliminary report, commissioned by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) after Western Cape Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath was informed of the alleged hit, the investigator noted that Myeza seemed “too confident” in interviews. .
“It seemed that being accused of political assassinations, the officials [sic] Either scared or showing respect to inmate Myeza, ”the investigator noted, adding“ All officials, including the head of the center, who came into contact with inmate Myeza in the presence of… knew him and was shown respect.
“It seemed that inmate Myeza may be one of those respected untouchable prisoners,” the preliminary report noted.
The report has been sent to the Minister of Justice and the Office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Monday September 7th the Ministry of Justice announced that the report had been forwarded to SAPS and the State Security Agency for further investigation.
The report was commissioned by JICS after Goliath, on June 3, 2020, was contacted by members of the Grahamstown Bar and informed him that a prisoner had called the office and informed them that another judge had given him a “hit.” to the life of Goliath. , John Hlophe.
Members of the bar relayed the call to a Grahamstown Superior Court judge, who then suggested that Goliath be informed immediately. On the same day, Goliath reported to the Office of the Chief Justice and additional security measures were immediately implemented.
Goliath confirmed to Daily maverick that he had received two reports from JICS related to the “matter” but would not make them public or discuss the content. He confirmed that his security had been strengthened.
As investigative journalist Greg Ardé noted in his book War Party – How ANC Political Assassinations Are Tearing Up South Africa, members of Crime Intelligence became involved in the investigation of the Magaqa killers in 2017.
Magaqa was seriously injured during an attack by assassins with AK-47s in June 2017 and died in September of the same year. His family alleges that he was poisoned after surviving the attempt on his life.
Myeza has been accused, along with businessman Mxolisi Ncalane and former taxi driver Mbulelo Mpofana, of conspiring to hire hitmen Jabulani Mdunge and Sibusiso Ncengwa, to assassinate Magaqa. The accused appeared in the Umzimkhulu Magistrates Court in May 2019 and were denied bail.
In that instance, the State presented evidence that it had placed Myeza at the crime scene and that it demonstrated that he had been central in planning the murder.
The investigator in that matter also said that Myeza, Ncalane and Mpofana “were probably involved in the deaths of councilors. Khaya thobela and Mduduzi Tshibase. “
Thobela, who was the president of the Umzimkhulu municipality, and Tshibase, who was a councilor, were assassinated in April and June 2017. Both had exposed endemic corruption in the area.
JICS first interviewed the whistleblower in depth in June 2020 and again in August, when an affidavit was taken.
“During the interview, it was observed that the inmate’s version… is consistent with his version of June 21, 2020,” the JICS report noted.
The whistleblower told the investigator that in May 2020 he found himself in a cell with Myeza, where he overheard a call that Myeza had received from a person named in the report.
This person had tried to recruit Myeza to participate in an alleged plot to assassinate Goliath.
“After inmate Myeza ended his call, he told the inmate … that it was one of his friends who was a hit man.”
This man had allegedly informed Myeza that there was a plot to kill Goliath and that there was “a senior Hawks officer who is friends with Judge Hlophe and who is making arrangements with the hitmen.”
The report sensationally states that the hitmen had “met with Judge Hlophe and that Judge Hlophe already paid them a deposit.”
The plan had been canceled because “Judge Hlophe heard something / information leaked and that Ms. Patricia Goliath got herself bodyguards to protect herself.”
Myeza told the investigator that he had never shared a cell with the complainant. Two statements were obtained from fellow prisoners who corroborated this version. However, Myeza admitted that the complainant had visited his cell.
Another inmate who shared a cell with Myeza told the investigator that the complainant had visited his cell, but had never “shared” it with Myeza.
A prison official was also interviewed, but the investigator requested the “cell search” to verify where the offenders were housed. It turned out that there was no “cell record”.
During the interview, the investigator pointed out that one of the inmates who had shared a cell with Myeza “seemed very nervous and could have been guided on what to say.”
The complainant, added the investigator, “was terrified of inmate Myeza and unofficially mentioned that Myeza threatened to find out where his family lives.”
The investigator pointed out that “all the officials, including the head of the center, who came into contact with the inmate Myeza in the presence of… knew him and was shown respect [sic] to him”.
The complainant told the investigator that when he learned of the plot to kill Goliath, he had telephoned the Eastern Cape Bar from a public phone. A secretary forwarded it to the spokesman for the Judicial Service Commission, Mr. Seal Chiloane.
He said that he had informed Chiloane of the alleged assassination plan.
Daily maverick’s questions to the Office of the Chief Justice have not been answered.
Hlophe’s legal representative, Barnabas Xulu, issued a general statement on September 6.
It said: “The allegations that our client ordered a coup against the Deputy Chief Justice emerged in an article published by Ground on September 4, 2020 and was later distributed on various media platforms on September 5, 2020.
“Our client was shocked by the publications of the different media, since the claims are unfounded and false.
“We will attend the consultation with our client during the week of September 7, 2020 and, thereafter, we will respond in a comprehensive manner to the allegations that appear in the publications.” DM
