LEAKED MESSAGES ALLEGE TIFFANY MEEK USED SECRET CELLPHONE BEHIND BARS
Messages supplied to MDNtv appear to show the murder accused discussing how a cellphone was secretly brought into prison and how inmates allegedly evade searches
Murder accused Tiffany Meek allegedly possessed and used an unauthorised cellphone while incarcerated, according to material exclusively supplied to MDNtv.
The material includes screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation purportedly involving Meek and another person. The messages are dated 5 September 2025, less than two months after Meek was arrested and denied bail.
In the conversation, an account bearing the name “Tiffany Lucas” announces that she now has WhatsApp and says they can communicate on the platform.
When the other participant asks whose cellphone she is using, the account responds: “My own. Had to arrange it to be brought in. I feel like a real criminal.”
The messages suggest that the cellphone may have been delivered through another woman who was allegedly trusted by Meek and had brought clothing from home.
The participant allegedly explains that searches were conducted inside the facility but claims inmates concealed their cellphones after receiving warnings from other cells.
She also appears to acknowledge the possible consequences of being caught with contraband.
The conversation raises further questions about security inside the correctional facility. In one message, the participant alleges that many inmates possessed cellphones and makes an unverified claim that some warders were involved in prohibited activities inside the prison.
MDNtv has not established whether Correctional Services knew about the alleged cellphone or whether it was ever discovered during a search.
Serious security questions
Cellphones are classified as unauthorised items inside South African correctional facilities unless their possession or use has been officially approved.
The alleged exchange raises questions about how the cellphone may have entered the facility, whether anyone assisted in bringing it inside and whether correctional officials were involved or failed to detect it.
It is also unclear how long the alleged cellphone remained inside the facility and whether it was used to communicate about Meek’s pending criminal case.
In the messages, the participant says using WhatsApp was “safer when discussing my case”. The other person later advises her to avoid discussing case-related details and to keep their conversations neutral.
Murder trial continues
Meek is standing trial in the Johannesburg High Court, sitting at Palm Ridge, for the murder of her 11-year-old son, Jayden-Lee Meek.
Jayden-Lee was reported missing on 13 May 2025 after he allegedly failed to return home from school. His body was discovered the following day near the Fleurhof apartment where he lived with his mother.
Meek has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and denies killing her son.
Her trial was postponed to 14 September 2026 following an inspection in loco at the Fleurhof apartment complex.
The alleged cellphone messages are separate from the evidence currently being presented in the murder trial. MDNtv is not suggesting that they establish Meek’s guilt or innocence in the murder case.
Right of reply
MDNtv sent detailed questions to Meek’s legal representatives and the Department of Correctional Services before publication.
Meek’s legal team was asked to confirm or deny whether she possessed or used an unauthorised cellphone while incarcerated.
Correctional Services was asked whether it knew about the alleged cellphone, whether Meek had been investigated or disciplined and whether it would investigate how the device allegedly entered the facility.
LB Wyngaard & Associates responded that the timeframe provided by MDNtv did not allow the firm sufficient opportunity to consult Meek and obtain full instructions.
“The timeframe provided by MDNtv affords this office insufficient opportunity within which to obtain full and considered instructions,” the firm stated.
The lawyers explained that consultations with incarcerated clients are subject to prescribed visiting hours, security clearances and logistical arrangements.
They also said MDNtv had not provided the underlying communications, electronic files or metadata for verification. According to the firm, electronic communications may be misattributed, removed from their original context or technically altered.
The firm requested complete and unredacted copies of the material before providing a substantive response.
MDNtv is withholding information that could identify confidential sources or compromise its continuing investigation.
Meek’s lawyers said their client “expressly does not admit the allegations” and stressed that the allegations remain untested and unadjudicated.
The Department of Correctional Services had not responded by the time of publication. Its response will be incorporated once received.
MDNtv’s investigation continues.
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