DURBAN - Lindani Myeni would have celebrated his 30th birthday on Monday according to his widow Lindsay Myeni.
This comes six months after the KZN-born former rugby player from Empangeni was shot dead by Honolulu police in the island state of Hawaii, in the US, on April 14, 2021
On Sunday October 24, Lindsay wished her late husband Happy Birthday in a YouTube video where she sings I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy and singer Faith Evans, with their two children in the background.
“Happy would’ve been 30th birthday papi,” she said.
“It’s been 6 months without you beb, still feels like yesterday. Such a long and painful journey I wouldn’t wish on anyone. What helps me get through is believing God knows our number of days. That he knew he was going to die somehow comforts me and that I’ve got 50% of him in each of the kids, which is kind of sort of almost like 100% if you stretch your imagination,” she captioned the video.
We remember Lindani through his powerful performance of civil rights anthem A Change Is Gonna Come.
In the video shared on Instagram on the Justiceforlindanihi page, Myeni is dressed in a black T-shirt with the words “Black Lives Matter” as he performs a passionate rendition of the American struggle song.
In May, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has described Myeni as a “gentle giant” in an IOL report.
Zikalala called on the United States government to take action against those implicated in the shooting.
"Those who took Lindani’s life want us to believe that he was a criminal and a violent man, but those who knew him intimately, tell tales of a soft-spoken, gentle giant who was always considerate and compassionate," Zikalala said.
Zikalala said Myeni used his voice as a war cry to inspire confidence and to encourage his rugby teammates.
"He also used it to instil fear in opposing teams. His voice, which has been eternally silenced, still echoes across the globe as his killing has united people of different colours, creeds and cultures.
In July, after a two-month investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting by Honolulu police, the city’s state prosecutor announced that the shooting was “justified”.
Speaking at her husband’s memorial service, Lindsay said she had no intention of going back to the US as she was concerned about the safety of her two children.
“I have to do what is best for me and my children. I need to consult with the South African government to get citizenship, so that I can stay in my children’s home country even without my husband,” she said.
The widow has been living in KZN since she arrived for her husband’s funeral.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Lindsay confirmed that she purchased a house. I is believed that the house is in KZN.
“I bought a house today. I don’t know if I believe in coincidences anymore. My signing landed on his 30th birthday. The day he passed he said ‘you want this house? I’ll buy you this house!’ (The one we were renting in Hawaii). Today feels like my birthday. Best present ever,” she wrote.
On the day Myeni died, while living in Hawaii, he had promised to buy his wife the house they were living in and coincidentally, Lindsay signed the purchase documents on his birthday.
THE MERCURY