Nine years after the murder of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, his siblings believe the ongoing trial is a “sham” and that the truth about his murder has not come out.
Meyiwa was shot dead in an alleged home invasion on October 26 2014 at his girlfriend’s house, actress and singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus.
Five men are charged with his murder and the Pretoria high court is hearing a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of two confession statements, a pointing-out process and warning statements.
Senzo’s brother, Sifiso, hopes that captain Joyce Buthelezi, who was once part of the team investigating the murder but withdrew in 2015, is called to the stand as a witness.
Buthelezi withdrew after recommending that all those who were in the house when Meyiwa was shot be arrested and charged with perjury or for defeating the ends of justice.
Among them were Khumalo, her mother, her sister Zandie Khumalo, Longwe Twala, the son of musician Chicco Twala and Meyiwa’s close friend, Tumelo Madlala.
“We know that Buthelezi has the truth. If she could be given an opportunity to take the stand, the case will be solved,” Sifiso said.
He believes what Buthelezi’s investigation suggested: that there were no intruders on the night his brother was killed.
He said that initially, he and his three sisters had opposing views of what happened the night the soccer star was killed.
It caused a rift which saw them, at some point, no longer on speaking terms.
He said that at one stage they had gone for two months without speaking to him as he had flatly refused to believe the indictment put before the court.
He said he had been the odd one out as he always believed the trial was a sham, where men that “had nothing to do with my brother’s death” are before court. He has never attended court proceedings.
“I had told my family that this case is being mishandled. I am the one who approached [AfriForum’s legal head, advocate Gerrie] Nel, I decided on my own, without involving my family. I asked Nel to get involved ... because we are dealing with powerful people,” Sifiso said.
Sifiso said he felt that Senzo’s murder case was being mishandled with “wrong people” who had been deliberately arrested.
“I believe that those high up in the police are also aware, but why are they keeping quiet and doing nothing about it?” Sifiso said.
“My family now sees my point, they now call me regularly, we have started talking once again, and they are now saying what I have been saying all along,” Sifiso said.
“They are my family so I don’t want to dwell on what has happened. Our relationship is now fine again ... we are hopeful and believe that the truth will come out eventually.”
On Friday, the Pretoria high court ruled the audio recording of an alleged confession by an accused, made by magistrate Vivian Cronje, is inadmissible as evidence.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng ruled on Friday that the three-hour recording of former mineworker Bongani Ntanzi was to be excused from evidence.
The Meyiwa siblings were on the phone chatting to each other as Mokgoatlheng delivered his ruling, Sifiso told TimesLIVE Premium.
He said his family would often visit Senzo’s grave on the anniversary of his death.
Senzo’s sisters Zama and Nomalanga were reluctant to speak to TimesLIVE Premium.
Nomalanga confirmed the family was now on good terms.
“We are pulling together as a family,” she said.
Zama said: “It's very painful every day.”
“Talking will not help me with anything because I am still in extreme pain ... for now I don’t have much to say as the case is still pending,” she said.
Soshanguve businessman Phillip Malepe, who was Meyiwa’s friend, “life coach and spiritual mentor”, said it was impossible to forget the talented goalkeeper.
Malepe met Meyiwa in 2008 through an associate and got him to visit the Zion Christian Church headquarters in Moria and they became close, seeing each other at least twice a week.
“Senzo was highly motivated, it’s impossible for me to forget him, I think about him often,” Malepe said this week.
“Senzo was a man of prayer and a staunch believer in prayer,” Malepe said.
Malepe said he had spoken to Meyiwa on the day he was shot.
“We spoke on the phone almost the whole day. The last call ended around 7.58pm and about 10 or 15 minutes later I learnt he had been shot.
“Our last conversation was about him building his house. I had gone with him to Amanzimtoti in KZN where he bought a stand, so we were speaking about his future and what was going to happen with [Meyiwa’s wife] Mandisa as he had a child with Kelly Khumalo,” Malepe said.
He said Senzo had wanted to arrange for his son to visit the Meyiwa home in Durban.
He said he remembers Meyiwa for his unique character which included being loud.
“He had jokes for days and was forever energetic, you’d hear him from when he entered the gate,” Malepe said.
“I opened my heart to him because we clicked well from the onset. I advised him to get married, to stay focused and plan for life after football,” he said.
Malepe was among the guests at Meyiwa’s wedding.
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