Johannesburg – Police Minister Bheki Cele will on Monday update the nation about the murder investigation into footballer Senzo Meyiwa’s death.
Meyiwa was shot dead at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s home, exactly six years ago today.
At the time, police said two suspected robbers entered the house and cellphones were stolen.
In the house that day was Meyiwa, Kelly and Zandi Khumalo, their mother Ntombi, Longwe Twala, Meyiwa’s friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, and Kelly’s then 4-year-old son, Christian, and Thingo, Kelly’s daughter with Senzo.
Weekend reports in the Sunday Independent said police had nabbed at least five people in connection with the murder of the former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper-captain.
The Sunday Independent also reported five arrest warrants were secured on Wednesday last week, which were signed by advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi, the director of public prosecutions in the Gauteng division of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The newspaper said Meyiwa was killed in an apparent hit after gunmen were hired to carry out the job. They were initially promised R250 000.
The Sunday Independent also said police were still investigating whether any of the people who were in the house when Meyiwa was shot, can be charged or linked to his murder.
“Police Minister General Bheki Cele will together with National Commissioner General Khehla Sitole update the nation on the latest developments in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case.
“Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed six years ago today in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni,” said Lirandzu Temba, the spokesperson for the police minister.
She said the press conference would be held at 1pm at the GCIS head offices in Pretoria.
Meanwhile, former Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said the R250 000 cash reward police had offered for information relating to the Meyiwa was later withdrawn after little came of it.
Nkosi-Malobane, who was the MEC of Community Safety in Gauteng when Meyiwa was killed, confirmed they offered a reward at the time but no one came forward with information to try and claim it.
Speaking to IOL recently, Malobane-Nkosi said when a reward is offered, it was usually for a stipulated period of time.
If no one comes with reliable information that leads to an arrest and conviction, it falls away, she said.
"In this instance, the period that was linked to the reward lapsed with no one coming with information that could assist the police arrest the perpetrator.
"The reward was R250 000 and rewards can't be forever, it's there for a particular period," she said.
A spokesperson for the national police, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, said Meyiwa's case was being investigated by the Cold Case Analysis team.
He said since the team took over the case in 2018, they had not promoted any reward for information because it didn't prove to be successful before when it was initially offered.
"Nobody ever came forward with information or claimed any reward so we never promoted it since 2018.
"We are relying strictly on our cold case analysis strategy and our investigative methods.
"I am not saying there is no reward now. All I am saying we never promoted it and I can't confirm if there is one," he said.
According to Naidoo, Meyiwa's case has been through a few investigations since it was registered when the murder case was opened.
He said it was initially with the SAPS, then with the Hawks then taken back to the SAPS and is now with the cold case investigating team that is being guided by the Cold Case Strategy.
"There is a strategy. A commander will come and say 'we have this case, these are the merits of this case, can the cold case analysis team be considered to take over the case'.
"Then we will analyse it and see whether there is still more work that could have been done before they can take over.
"Senzo Meyiwa's case was referred to the cold case team in 2018. The National Commissioner did pronounce a cold case strategy where we have drawn a lot of cases and investigating them and Senzo Meyiwa's case is one of them," Naidoo said.
IOL