Johannesburg- It has been nine months since the brutal slaying of former South African star rugby player Lindani Myeni at his home in Hawaii in the US, where he had relocated with his wife Lindsay.
Lindani’s uncle, Andile Myeni, said the unbearable pain of losing their loved one lingers.
“The pain is far much greater for his wife Lindsay as we continue to exhaust all available avenues to ensure that the police who murdered him finally answer for their inhumane and racially motivated killing,” said Andile.
Myeni, 29, from Esikhaleni in the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, met his untimely death in April when he was shot and killed by three police officers in the area, a few houses from his home.
Though Myeni was familiar and known by his neighbours, he was suspected of being a burglar and shot at close range by the police.
Andile said the family had welcomed and embraced the decision taken by Myeni’s wife to raise his children in South Africa. He said Lindsay wanted Myeni children, who are of mixed race, to be eloquent in isiZulu, including learning IsiZulu cultural practices. “It’s what Lindani had wanted for his children not to lose their roots.”
There are already public calls for the government to assist Lindsay in attaining the required documents, fearing that should her visa expire, she will be forced to go back to her native land to face the community that murdered her husband.
In the aftermath of the murder, Susan Ballard, the police chief of Honolulu police department, said Myeni was killed in self-defense. She downplayed the incident, saying the lives of her officers were in imminent danger, alleging that Myeni had initiated the violence when he got out of his vehicle and wrestled with police officers, and overpowered them.
During the scuffle, Myeni was shot at four times.
The police officers were cleared of any wrongdoing by Honolulu prosecuting attorney Steve Alm.
In a quest for justice, lawyers representing Myeni are pursuing a case for civil proceedings against the Honolulu police.
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