The long-awaited trial of three men accused of murdering former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa will begin in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in November.
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The murder trial of three men accused of killing former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Jethro Magaqa has been set down to start in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in November.
Magaqa was shot in July 2017 and succumbed to his injuries after some time in hospital.
Sbonelo Myeza, Mbulelo Mpofana and Zweliphansi Stanley Skhosana appeared in court on Thursday, where a pre-trial conference was concluded and the matter was certified as trial-ready.
The trial is scheduled to run from November 9 to December 11.
The trio face a string of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, malicious injury to property and defeating the administration of justice.
The latter charge applies to Skhosana.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the pre-trial conference commenced and was concluded on Thursday, clearing the way for the long-awaited trial.
“Following the conclusion of the pre-trial conference, the presiding officer certified the matter as trial-ready,” said NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
The matter was then remanded to November 9 for the commencement of the trial.
During the proceedings, the legal representatives for Skhosana informed the court that representations had been submitted to the National Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration.
“The State undertook to expedite the outcome of those representations,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
Myeza and Mpofana are out on bail, while Skhosana remains in custody after his bail application was unsuccessful in September 2025.
Magaqa had been serving as a councillor in the Umzimkhulu Local Municipality when he was shot in July 2017 in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. He was the secretary-general of the ANC Youth League from June 2011 to April 2012, when he was suspended from the party for a year after being found guilty of misconduct.
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