Today, October 26, is exactly nine years since Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed in Vosloorus.
Meyiwa was gunned down at the home of his then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo in 2014.
Former Pirates coach Augusto Palacios, the man who brought the agile goalkeeper from KwaZulu-Natal to the Buccaneers, is still broken-hearted and in pain that there is still no justice for Meyiwa, almost a decade after his murder.
Meyiwa’s murder trial is ongoing at the Pretoria High Court, where five men stand accused of killing the shot-stopper.
Father-and-son relationshipl
Palacios, who says he had a father-and-son relationship with Meyiwa, is calling for those behind the murder to be thrown in jail for a very long time.
“I want justice for our player. The people who killed him must get a life sentence. They took away the life of a father, and a breadwinner,” Palacios opened up to Sunday World.
“They do not deserve to be out in the streets, they must rot in jail.
“We discovered Senzo when he was playing in an Under-13 tournament in Pietermaritzburg. Coach Simphiwe Ngwenya called us to come and see this talented young goalkeeper during that competition.
“We were convinced, and chairman Irvin Khoza went and spoke with his parents. We brought the kid to Johannesburg.
“He was among many other kids that we brought to the Pirates academy including Benedict Vilakazi, Joseph Makhanya, Lesley Manyathela, Thabang Stemmer, Phumudzo Manenzhe, Excellent Walaza, Abia Nale, Tlou Segolela, Brighton Mhlongo, Kelebogile Mabe, Lebohang Mokoena and Lucas Thwala, to mention a few.
“It took Senzo seven years to break into the Pirates starting line-up, and when he was starting to be the best in the country, he was killed.
“We are still very hurt about his death. What is more painful about this whole case is that there are so many lies, and people are hiding behind the truth.
He said other people are scared to come forward and talk openly about what happened to Meyiwa, which has resulted in the case dragging on for years.
“I do watch the case on TV now and then, and I feel very bad because he was a very good boy. I want to encourage his family to remain strong and [assure them] that justice will prevail one day.”
