Trial Date Set for Three Accused in Sindiso Magaqa’s Murder

After years of waiting, a trial date has finally been set for the three men accused of orchestrating the murder of former ANC Youth League Secretary General Sindiso Magaqa. The case, which has become a symbol of the deadly intersection of politics and corruption, is scheduled to run from 18 May to 12 June 2026 in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

The three accusedSbonelo Myeza, Mbulelo Mpofana, and Zweliphansi Stanley Skhosanaface a litany of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, attempted murder, and defeating the ends of justice. A fourth accused, Mlungisi Ncalane, has been declared unfit to stand trial due to mental illness and is being held in a psychiatric facility.

The Hitman and the Motive

The upcoming trial follows the conviction of the triggerman, Sibusiso Ncengwa, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in July 2025 after admitting his role. Ncengwa confessed that he was part of a hit squad paid R120,000 to assassinate Magaqa in 2017.

Magaqa, who was serving as a councillor in the Umzimkhulu Local Municipality at the time, was shot in an ambush in July 2017 and later died in hospital. It is widely alleged that he was targeted because he was on the verge of exposing massive tender corruption related to the construction of a community hall in the municipality.

The case has long pointed to the involvement of powerful political figures. As recently as June, ANCYL President Collen Malatji expressed deep concern about “the involvement of politicians in Magaqa’s death.”

The Long Road to Justice

Myeza and Mpofana are currently out on bail, while Skhosana remains in custody after his bail application was denied. The 2026 trial date marks a critical step in a case that has come to represent the extreme dangers faced by whistleblowers and activists in South Africa who dare to challenge corrupt networks.

For the family of Sindiso Magaqa and a public weary of political killings, the trial will be a pivotal moment of accountability, probing not just the hands that pulled the trigger, but the minds that allegedly plotted the murder of a young leader poised to speak truth to power.

{Source: Citizen}

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