The father of murdered soccer player Senzo Meyiwa believes there was a “hit” on his son’s life but is confident his killers would be arrested soon.
Samuel Meyiwa said he knows who the killers are and police were hot on their heels. He said they were hitmen from KwaZulu-Natal but he did not want to name them.
Meyiwa said the police had visited him two weeks ago at his home to assure him two men would soon be arrested.
He said police received “a new lead in their investigation”.
“Police are in hot pursuit. These are well known killers who get paid for their service. It is just a matter of time before the truth is known to the pubic. We need to get closure on whose instruction this was carried out,” he said. Meyiwa said he was hurt that the mother of Kelly Khumalo, Senzo’s girlfriend, has still not called him to explain what happened at her house on that fateful day.
He said after Khumalo gave birth to Senzo’s daughter, her mother brought the child to the Meyiwa’s house for a ritual, but it was strange that after his death they had not visited the family. He also lashed out at Khumalo for accusing him of wanting fame when he was mourning Senzo’s death.
“She is very rude and lacks respect. If she had so much love for Senzo, she should be in touch with us at least to tell us about the investigation.
“There were people in that house who saw what happened but instead they are playing hide and seek by not revealing everything to police. To me it appears as if the hit was well-orchestrated,” he said.
Meyiwa said he was ashamed that Senzo’s close friend Tumelo Madlala had also not told the truth but had instead distanced himself from the Meyiwas.
“He is supposed to console us in our grief because he was like a son to us. He lives nearby but he has decided to disappear and cannot tell us the truth. I do not know what he is hiding from us,” said Meyiwa.
Khumalo did not respond to questions sent to her via SMS at the time of going to press, and Madlala could not be reached for comment.
Meyiwa said he was excited when Magma Security Investigations offered to help with the investigation, but his excitement was short-lived because six months later there were still no arrests.
However, Magma Security Investigations head Shaheen Suleiman said they were waiting for new information.
October 26, 2014:
- Before 8 o’clock, the story of Senzo Meyiwa’s death breaks and immediately hits social media. Two hours later, the SAPS uncharacteristically confirms the |football star’s death before informing next of kin. |The police’s departure from ethical policy is seemingly to quell public disquietude for two hours.
- A number and names of witnesses present at the crime scene are released: singer Kelly Khumalo; her younger sister Zandile; her lover Longwe Twala; Ntombi Khumalo, mother of sisters Kelly and Zandi; the anonymous hangers-on of Meyiwa, Motho and Tumelo Madlala; two minors, Meyiwa’s and Khumalo’s infant and her toddler from a previous affair with convicted musician Jub Jub.
- Informed by the witnesses at the scene, the police issue a statement that Meyiwa was gunned down in an alleged robbery by about seven suspects.
The SAPS posts this statement on their Twitter page.
They state in one of their tweets on the night that “women present at the crime scene are screaming at us, ‘why we tell the nation who died and where’”, implying that the Khumalos were trying to prevent the police from releasing the information to the pubic that fateful night.
Timeline of the Senzo murder investigation bungle
October 27:
- The police issue a correction to their statement: they now state that the alleged robbers and murderers numbered five. This revision is significant. On the same day or following days, the number of alleged robbers and murderers publicised by police from witnesses’ statements changes from seven to five, then to three and two. One man is finally arrested. Yet, after the arrest, the police issue a statement saying they expect to make more arrests, owing to information that there was more than one alleged robber and murderer, as previously communicated.
- National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega increases the initial police reward of R150 000 to R250 000 - the ultimate police reward for information by the public for successful arrests and prosecution of crime suspects - to anyone coming forward with information leading to the arrests of the claimed robbers and murderers.
October 28:
- Showing how the police still believed there was more than one suspect , the SAPS issue the Identikits of two suspects. The Meyiwa family, represented by Senzo’s father Samuel, issues a statement that 10 private investigators have been hired and dispatched to conduct a parallel investigation to the police investigation into the murder of his son.
October 29
- Information breaks that police have arrested three suspects at the Beitbridge border gate . This information proves to be false. Only one suspect was arrested in Vosloorus, the Khumalos’ home suburb, where the murder occurred.
October 31 :
- Police announce a breakthrough in the arrest of Zamokuhle Mbatha, who is positively identified at an identity parade. He appears in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court and is remanded in custody to reappear in court on November 11.
November 1:
- Meyiwa is buried at the Chesterville Cemetery, following a national funeral service at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
November 3:
- Longwe Twala tells a Joburg-based newspaper: “These guys (alleged robbers and murderers) demanded cellphones and money from us. The two men followed Kelly to the room. Senzo charged at the man with the gun. Senzo fought the guys because he was protecting his woman and that is why they shot him.”
November 4:
- SAPS Divisional Commissioner Vinesh Moonoo holds a press conference flanked by some of his eminent police colleagues, where he states “we’re confident the individual we’ve arrested is the right one”, meaning Mbatha. Moonoo also states that the police are confident Mbatha is one of two suspects. Moonoo asserts that “we’re convinced that it was a robbery gone horribly wrong” and one of the alleged two suspects is still at large. Moonoo also says “this is the last time we comment publicly on this investigation until such time as a breakthrough”.
November 11:
- When Mbatha appears again in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court, charges are withdrawn. Prosecutor Margaret Market tells the court “there isn’t sufficient evidence to put Mr Mbatha on trial”, soundly dismissing the police’s claim that the police were confident they had made the arrest of “the right man”. Magistrate Daniel Thulare orders the immediate release of |Mbatha.
November 30:
- City Press reveals that the police now believe there was no robbery that took place at the Khumalos during the incident. A police source states that a licensed firearm of a person present at the Khumalos’ home during the murder has been taken for ballistic testing. This raises questions on why the police investigation took more than a month, and also why the firearm, found in possession of one of the witnesses at the crime scene, wasn’t seized. A police source vows an arrest before Christmas.
March 26, 2015:
- The Meyiwas, Samuel and Ntombifuthi, who appear to be coming to terms with the death of their son, tell a Joburg weekly magazine they know who the killer is because they’ve been informed by police investigators but are not at liberty to disclose this publicly. They speak of the killer in the singular, indicating their son was killed by one person, not two as police have been claiming. Ntombifuthi had to be hospitalised after the attack.
May 15:
- Wrongfully accused and after an allegedly conspired identification, Mbatha sues the police and the police minister for R10 million. - Mduduzi Dlamini
Sunday Independent