‘It wasn’t us’
Five men accused of murdering South African footballer Senzo Meyiwa appeared in court yesterday.
28 October 2020 | International
SABC and NAMPA/AFP
BOKSBURG
All five suspects in the murder case of Senzo Meyiwa say they do not understand why they have been arrested.
They are Muzikawulahlelwa S’tembu Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokosizeni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Sifikuhle Nkani Ntuli.
The suspects arrived at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court east of Johannesburg under heavy police guard yesterday and were quickly led into the court.
Supporters of the Meyiwa family also gathered outside court. The suspects, who are already in jail for other crimes, will not be applying for bail.
The case is expected to be transferred to the Gauteng High Court.
Members of AfriForum, including former prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who successfully put Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius behind bars for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, were present in court. Meyiwa’s brother Sifiso was also present.
The suspects were arrested in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
Gunned down
The 27-year-old goalkeeper and national squad captain was gunned down at the home of his popstar girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, southeast of Johannesburg during the evening of 26 October 2014.
Police had failed for six years to find the killers after they reportedly escaped on foot, sparking accusations of incompetence.
A newly appointed cold-case unit took over the sluggish investigation in 2018, gathering evidence that allowed police to make a first string of arrests exactly six years after Meyiwa's murder.
"The first five suspects have been arrested... this morning," police minister Bheki Cele told reporters on Monday.
"Investigations are still ongoing and more arrests cannot be ruled out," he added, lauding the cold-case team for their "tireless" work.
National police commissioner Khehla Sitole said one of the detainees was "the key suspect suspected of having pulled the trigger".
Sitole explained that key ballistic evidence emerged when investigators found the firearm used to shoot Meyiwa and linked it back to the crime scene.
"We have a concrete case this time because it is backed by evidence," he said, noting that the "cracking of the case" had merely coincided with the murder's anniversary.
A South African lobby group representing the Meyiwa family praised the arrests and said investigators now had sufficient evidence to show the murder had been pre-meditated.
‘Assassination’
"We now know it wasn't a robbery went wrong, but in fact an assassination," the head of AfriForum's private prosecution unit Gerrie Nel said in a statement.
"The challenge now is to bring the mastermind behind the murder to justice," said Nel, the former state prosecutor who led the case against Paralympian Oscar Pistorius and has a reputation of winning high-profile cases.
Meyiwa was captain and goalkeeper of both the Bafana Bafana national team and top club Orlando Pirates.
Cele deplored the "immeasurable pain" suffered by the sport icon's family and fans, and vowed to "ensure justice".
Meyiwa's brother Sifiso welcomed the arrests and hoped more would follow.
"We remain anxious that the mastermind was not arrested," he said in a statement.
BOKSBURG
All five suspects in the murder case of Senzo Meyiwa say they do not understand why they have been arrested.
They are Muzikawulahlelwa S’tembu Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokosizeni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Sifikuhle Nkani Ntuli.
The suspects arrived at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court east of Johannesburg under heavy police guard yesterday and were quickly led into the court.
Supporters of the Meyiwa family also gathered outside court. The suspects, who are already in jail for other crimes, will not be applying for bail.
The case is expected to be transferred to the Gauteng High Court.
Members of AfriForum, including former prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who successfully put Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius behind bars for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, were present in court. Meyiwa’s brother Sifiso was also present.
The suspects were arrested in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
Gunned down
The 27-year-old goalkeeper and national squad captain was gunned down at the home of his popstar girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, southeast of Johannesburg during the evening of 26 October 2014.
Police had failed for six years to find the killers after they reportedly escaped on foot, sparking accusations of incompetence.
A newly appointed cold-case unit took over the sluggish investigation in 2018, gathering evidence that allowed police to make a first string of arrests exactly six years after Meyiwa's murder.
"The first five suspects have been arrested... this morning," police minister Bheki Cele told reporters on Monday.
"Investigations are still ongoing and more arrests cannot be ruled out," he added, lauding the cold-case team for their "tireless" work.
National police commissioner Khehla Sitole said one of the detainees was "the key suspect suspected of having pulled the trigger".
Sitole explained that key ballistic evidence emerged when investigators found the firearm used to shoot Meyiwa and linked it back to the crime scene.
"We have a concrete case this time because it is backed by evidence," he said, noting that the "cracking of the case" had merely coincided with the murder's anniversary.
A South African lobby group representing the Meyiwa family praised the arrests and said investigators now had sufficient evidence to show the murder had been pre-meditated.
‘Assassination’
"We now know it wasn't a robbery went wrong, but in fact an assassination," the head of AfriForum's private prosecution unit Gerrie Nel said in a statement.
"The challenge now is to bring the mastermind behind the murder to justice," said Nel, the former state prosecutor who led the case against Paralympian Oscar Pistorius and has a reputation of winning high-profile cases.
Meyiwa was captain and goalkeeper of both the Bafana Bafana national team and top club Orlando Pirates.
Cele deplored the "immeasurable pain" suffered by the sport icon's family and fans, and vowed to "ensure justice".
Meyiwa's brother Sifiso welcomed the arrests and hoped more would follow.
"We remain anxious that the mastermind was not arrested," he said in a statement.
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