Conflicting school clothing items took centre stage at the Tiffany Meek case as slain Jayden-Lee’s teacher and transport driver testified as state witnesses.

This was clear when they both testified that Jayden was wearing red tracksuits, while Meek had previously told the court that her son had been wearing his full school uniform.

Meek appeared in the Johannesburg High Court, sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, on Wednesday, August 19, as the state continued to build its case.

The state alleges that Meek murdered her son, Jayden-Lee, and reported him missing. She previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, crimen injuria and defeating the ends of justice. A charge of child neglect was withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.

• Also read: Meek’s demeanour under scrutiny as state witnesses testify

Jayden-Lee’s teacher testifies

While answering questions from State Prosecutor Carla Britz, Jayden-Lee’s teacher, Rethabile Maswangane, testified that Jayden was a Grade Six learner at Royal College and had started at the school around March 2025.

She confirmed that Jayden was present at school on May 13, 2025, and was wearing a red tracksuit with blue and white stripes. She said this was the school’s sports uniform. Jayden also had his black school bag with him that day.

“I saw him during register period, during the day, and the last time I saw him was outside the schoolyard. I think he was waiting for his school transport. The track top was in his hand, and he was wearing a blue golf shirt. He had his school bag with him,” said Maswangane.

Maswangane also explained to the court that the school preferred learners to wear their formal school uniform on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. This consisted of grey pants, a white shirt, a tie and a blazer. On Wednesdays and Fridays, learners were encouraged to wear their sports tracksuits.

During cross-examination, the defence highlighted that May 13, 2025, was a Tuesday, which would suggest that Jayden should have been wearing his formal school uniform.

The defence further pointed out that the accused had previously told the court that she had dressed Jayden in his full school uniform that morning.

Maswangane, however, said the only time she had seen Jayden wearing his full school uniform was during his first week at the school.

Thereafter, she said, he was always dressed in his tracksuit. She clarified that while the school preferred learners to wear their formal uniform on certain days and tracksuits on others, learners were not punished for wearing the school uniform they were most comfortable in.

Maswangane further testified that she was not in contact with the accused on May 13 and that she woke up to a missed call and a deleted message on the morning of May 14, 2025.

She also said she was informed of Jayden’s death on May 14, 2025, after break.

• Also read: Murder accused Meek details her version of events in court

Transport driver takes the stand

Jayden-Lee’s transport driver, Ndonga Mzwakhe Khumalo, testified that he had only been transporting Jayden for a few weeks. This was because his original transport driver had experienced car trouble and he was asked to step in.

“There’s a woman called Nthabiseng, and she was the regular transport driver for Jayden. My wife, Lerato, was transporting another child at Swazi Place, and Nthabiseng’s car had broken down. She then asked my wife if she could transport Jayden while her car was being repaired.”

Khumalo added that he was not part of the arrangements and did not have direct contact with the accused, but there was communication between the accused, his wife and Nthabiseng.

“The car that was meant to pick Jayden up in the morning and afternoon was introduced to the accused, and what usually happened was that my wife would pick him up in the morning and I would drop him off in the afternoons.”

He also confirmed that when he dropped Jayden off on May 13 in the afternoon, he was wearing a red tracksuit and had his track top in his hand.

“I picked him up around 14:00 to 14:30, and I dropped him off around 15:15 to 15:30. He had his black school bag. He entered the premises of Swazi Place, and that day the motor gate was not working properly, and the security had to manually open the gate. There was no pedestrian gate.”

Khumalo said that between 17:35 and 17:40, Nthabiseng called his wife Lerato, saying that the accused had said Jayden-Lee had not arrived home.

“I was not in contact with the accused, and I advised my wife to tell the accused that she must check with Jayden’s friend.”

Later that evening, the police, together with the accused and her mother, went to Khumalo’s home.

“This was the first time I had met the accused and her mother.”

“The accused said I know what happened to her son as I was the last person to be with him.”

Khumalo testified that the allegations made by the accused were very detrimental to his business and reputation. He said parents stopped using his business and mentioned that his 14-year-old daughter was bullied at school.

“When walking with my wife, people would point at us and say this is Jayden-Lee’s killer.”

Kumalo said that when Jayden’s body was found, a community member called his wife and asked her to call Tiffany, as no one at the scene had her number.

“My wife called the first time, and she didn’t pick up.

• Also read: Meek pleads not guilty to son’s murder

“When my wife was about to send her a message, she phoned us back.

“Before my wife could tell her the news, she immediately shouted, saying, ‘How do you know that my son was found on the stairs, murdered? You are the killer. You killed my son’.”

During cross-examination, Meek refuted claims that she had accused her son’s transport driver of his death.

Meek stated that when she discovered her child, she had no time to argue with people about other matters, as she had to attend to him.

“The accused person indicates she just received news that the child was found. She had no time to dispute with Lerato. All that was communicated to her was, ‘Please come to Swazi Place. Your child has been found’, and that was the entire sum between Lerato and herself,” said the defence attorney.

By the end of Wednesday’s proceedings, Judge Cassian Mossa indicated that an application for an inspection of the Swazi Place buildings had been granted for August 26.

The court heard that once the inspection has been completed, proceedings will resume at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

The accused remains in custody.