Senzo Meyiwa’s supporters who gathered outside the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court to demand justice for the slain former Bafana Bafana captain said while they are happy the case is back in court, they are not convinced that the police investigation is on the right track.
They believe that apart from the accused in court, there are other main culprits responsible for the death of Meyiwa who have not yet been arrested.
Meyiwa was shot dead at the home of his then-girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus. Initially, it was reported Meyiwa died in a robbery gone wrong, but AfriForum believes Meyiwa had been assassinated.
While the supporters, consisting of soccer fans and NFP members, welcome the developments in the murder case, they said they remain skeptical about the arrests.
They feel it’s still early to applaud the police for the five suspects charged in the matter.
One of the protesters, Bongani Mahlangu of Daveyton, said he is not convinced because the police did the same thing six years ago when they wrongfully arrested someone and sent the nation into a frenzy for nothing.
“Senzo Meyiwa’s family approached AfriForum to ask for assistance because of the slow pace of events within the SAPS. There was no progress to a point that even Senzo’s father died, waiting for the SAPS to give them a concrete way forward,” said Mahlangu.
“We are just spectators looking on and we only make conclusion from what we see standing outside. What we see and know is that the SAPS is not reliable.
“Before the intervention of AfriForum, there was no tangible progress. Even the minister said AfriForum is trying to embarrass them. Probably because of the fear of embarrassment they said let’s do something.
“With regards to the theatrics today, we cannot pretend we have reached a real milestone. History might repeat itself.
“That shows you that SAPS is ineffective and inefficient. They are just playing games with us,” said the unimpressed Mahlangu.
Arrested suspects
The suspects charged with the murder are Muzikawukhulelwa Themba Sibiya of Thembisa, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi of Rustenburg, Mthokoziseni Ziphoozonke Maphisa of Johannesburg, and Mthobisi Chris Mncube and Sifokuhle Sifiso Nkani Ntuli, both from Nongoma, KZN.
They are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Court appearance takes a dramatic turn
The group was arrested on October 26, exactly six years after the killing of Meyiwa. They appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The matter was postponed to November 27. They all remain in custody.
The accused’s court appearance reportedly took a dramatic turn as they refused to enter the court dock, arguing they were not involved in the case and police were using them to protect those actually responsible for the murder.
NPA documents reveal interesting links
The NPA provided the Advertiser with documents that accompanied the charge sheet, indicating that it was part of the court proceedings. Correspondence between the NPA and the SAPS indicated that records of cellphone communication between the suspects has been requested. Kelly Khumalo’s cellphone records were also mentioned.
The document contained further instructions issued by the NPA to the investigating officer.
This publication has since learnt that, during the above proceedings, the media was instructed to refrain from publishing further particulars relating to the aforementioned document, and has therefore edited this paragraph to remove it. Kelly Khumalo and the NPA were approached for comment and none was received.
Media not allowed in the courtroom
This publication and several others were not allowed into the courtroom on the day of the court proceedings. Boksburg Advertiser intended to question this seemingly unjustifiable limitation of the principle of open justice. However, a letter from Magistrate HJ Havenga explained that members of the media inside the courtroom had disrupted events to a great extent.
No members were allowed without prearranged court orders. Nonetheless, the Advertiser managed to obtain copies of the charge sheet and the gist of proceedings electronically.
