Jabulile Ntimba Murder: Accused Claims Police Tortured Her Into Confessing
BOKSBURG – One of the two women accused of murdering Jabulile Ntimba has denied involvement in the killing, alleging that police tortured her into making a confession.
Fortunate Masilela and Tsakane Msithini appeared in the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 1 October, for bail proceedings. They face charges of premeditated murder and defeating or obstructing the ends of justice.
In an affidavit presented to the court, Masilela alleged that police officers threatened and tortured her, repeatedly placing plastic over her head and preventing her from breathing.
She claimed that the pressure caused her to admit involvement in a murder she maintains she did not commit.
The torture allegations are disputed claims before the court, not judicial findings against the officers.
Masilela described Ntimba as her cousin and said the two had previously lived together. She told the court that Ntimba had also helped her with childcare.
According to her account, Ntimba was alive when she last saw her on 16 September. Her body was discovered the following day in Villa Liza, near Dawn Park.
Masilela also challenged the evidence against her, saying investigators had not recovered a murder weapon from her possession.
Investigators have been examining a possible relationship-related motive, with a suspected love triangle emerging as an angle in the investigation. The motive has not been established as fact.
Ntimba’s death came amid growing concern over the discovery of women’s bodies across Ekurhuleni. She was reported as the ninth woman found dead in the municipality since July.
That figure does not mean the two accused are implicated in nine murders. Police have not established that the wider killings were committed by a single perpetrator.
A man initially arrested in connection with Ntimba’s death was subsequently released without being charged, while investigations continued.
The matter was postponed to 12 October 2026 to allow the legal teams time to prepare the necessary documents.
