Torture Claims Shake Jabulile Ntimba Murder Case as Accused Says Police Forced Her Confession

A murder trial gripping South Africa took a sharp and disturbing turn on Thursday when Fortunate Masilela, the first accused in the killing of Jabulile Ntimba, told the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court that police officers tortured her and coerced her into confessing to the crime. Masilela and her co-accused, Tsakani Nester Msithini, appeared before the court as bail proceedings continued, before the case was postponed to October 12 to allow legal teams to prepare the necessary documentation.

Speaking through her lawyer, Masilela described a harrowing ordeal she says took place after her initial arrest. “Police came back to my place and forced me to confess,” she said, adding that “the torture was so severe I ended up saying I killed the deceased with my sister.” In an affidavit submitted to the court, she alleged that officers repeatedly placed plastic over her head, cutting off her air supply until the pressure broke her and she admitted to a murder she insists she did not commit.

Masilela described Ntimba as her cousin, someone she had previously shared a home with and who had helped her with childcare. Her account places Ntimba alive on 16 September — the day before her body was discovered wrapped in a sheet in Villa Liza, near Dawn Park, Boksburg. Masilela also challenged the prosecution’s material evidence, pointing out that investigators had not recovered any murder weapon from her possession.

It is critical to note that the torture allegations have not yet been tested in evidence, and both accused remain innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The claims against the police officers are disputed and do not constitute judicial findings at this stage.

Ntimba’s death has landed at the centre of a much wider crisis. Her murder was reported as the ninth case in which a woman’s body had been found across Ekurhuleni since July, intensifying public alarm over a surge in femicide across the municipality. Deputy police chief Lt Gen Tebello Mosikili acknowledged that “a team of analysts are working hard to see if there are links to all these cases,” though he noted that Ntimba’s killing “appears to be an indication of a murder that stemmed from a relationship… a possible love triangle.”

Three people were initially arrested in connection with the case, but the State later released one suspect, citing insufficient evidence to proceed — though police maintain he remains a person of interest. Masilela and Msithini now face charges of premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice. Under the Criminal Procedure Act, both women must demonstrate to the court that exceptional circumstances exist before bail can be considered.

Investigators remain confident in their case. Police stated publicly that they believe both Msithini and Masilela are directly linked to Ntimba’s murder, even as the defence’s torture allegations now cast a long and uncomfortable shadow over how that evidence was obtained.