Johannesburg – Tuesday marked exactly seven years since the football fraternity learned of the devastating news that the iconic goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was gunned down in Vosloorus.
Best known for his remarkable scorpion saves and as an outstanding mastermind for penalties, Nzori as he was widely known, lost his life at the hands of armed robbers.
On 26 October 2014, Meyiwa was fatally shot and killed at the home of the singer and actress Kelly Khumalo, after intruders reportedly demanded a cellphone.
Meyiwa was then rushed to a hospital declared dead on arrival.
Meyiwa’s case to find culprits behind his killing, has been dragging on for the past seven years. The most recent development in the mystery is that police made an arrest of five suspects, however, the mastermind is still at large.
The arrest of the quintet occurred in October last year in connection with the killing.
The arrest came after Civil rights movement, AfriForum intervened in 2019, stating it would help the Meyiwa’s family with the investigation into the death of the former Bafana Bafana captain.
In their strive to find leads in the case, the AfriForum’s advocate Gerrie Nel pinned on the National Prosecuting Authority to launch an inquest in this matter.
A shocking revelation in the case then came to light. It was discovered that the case was prolonged due to ‘murder cover-ups’, in whereby a former lead investigator in the case, Colonel Bongani Gininda, withheld a crucial statement he had received in 2017 on who murdered Nzori.
In a recently held murder trial, the High Court ruled that the murder trial of the five men accused will begin from April 11 next year.
On Monday, the five accussed assailants appeared in court under heavy police guard, as amongst them, three of the accused are convicted criminals.
The lobby group (AfriForum) believes that the mastermind behind Meyiwa’s murder is still roaming in the streets.
Advocate Nel said: “I do believe there is a strong enough case and we will certainly proceed with our consultations with the investigating team and hope that we will be briefed on latest developments and then we will have a better idea.”
The Meyiwa’s family is still yet to seek closure, as the wait for the judgment to be lifted against orchestrators of the killing.
In 2019, the father of Nzori, Sam Meyiwa passed away while waiting for closure on the death of his beloved son.
The football fraternity continues to remember Meyiwa’s legacy years later, sharing their fondest memories.
It’s not just an ordinary goalkeeper who stands out victorious to captain both the national team and the club, but for Nzori, he came out Mzansi’s finest.
At the time of his death, Meyiwa captained both Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates, where he left a huge void in Pirates, as the club struggled with the goalkeeping department for years.
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