Kelly, other witnesses hiding things about Senzo’s murder – former investigating officer

Eight years after the senseless killing of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa and the motive of the murder and the mastermind of the murder are still unknown and unresolved.

On 11 April, Muzikawukhulelwa S’Themba Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa, and Sifokuhle Nkani Sifiso Ntuli are expected to appear in the Pretoria High Court, for the trial to commence.

Also Read: Netflix docu-series on Senzo Meyiwa’s murder begins in April

Meyiwa was shot dead while visiting the home of his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus, in October 2014.

Retired police officer, former Warrant Officer Amanda Steenkamp says something is fishy about the murder, despite the arrests made and the case being ready for trial.

“Let me tell you, while I did those interviews, I felt those people’s versions in that house differed. They knew what happened there, and it felt like they lied to me,” she said.

Steenkamp said when she was called to the crime scene on the day, she had her dog Tokkie with her at the office.

“I used him as an emotional support pet, especially in cases such as rape and trauma from house robberies,” she said.

“I had to ask a colleague to take care of Tokkie while I visited the scene.”

Steenkamp said she interviewed Khumalo first.

“I remember her dreadlocks and how she sat in the chair. She looked tired and irritated, as if to say, ‘get this over and done with’. I went through a terrible time. That was my first impression of her,” she said.

Steenkamp said she couldn’t help thinking back about the things Khumalo said in her interviews, and compare it with what has transpired since.

“I remember her describing the one suspect, but she couldn’t remember what his eyebrows looked like,” she said.

Steenkamp also interviewed Khumalo’s sister, Zandile Khumalo, who told her she saw the suspect’s eyebrows when his hoodie cap fell off his head.

Steenkamp said there were a few things that still didn’t add up.

 “Such as the sister’s boyfriend who claimed he got a fright and fled the property over the wall to get help. Interestingly, the suspect who allegedly guarded the door didn’t stop him from fleeing the house,” she said.

Steenkamp said it may have been a case where he bumped him out of the way, but it was unlikely.

Steenkamp has also interviewed Meyiwa’s friends and other witnesses over the past eight years.

“I heard two of the people who I interviewed in the case died. The one person was poisoned and the other person shot,” she said.

She believes the case should have been solved long ago.

“I feel there were police members who helped delay the case. In the past eight years, dockets have gone missing, identikits went missing, and there were nearly six investigating officers on the case,” she said.

The former cop says she has told every investigating officer the same thing: “Khumalo and the rest of the people in the house know the killer. They are hiding it from us, and they know the right story behind the whole story. I might be wrong, but I might be right.”

“They found the murder weapon and arrested five guys. If I understood it correctly, the police found a pistol, but I remember Khumalo saying it was a revolver. There are differences,” she said.

“I’ll say it again, something isn’t right and very fishy,” she said.

Police still messing about eight years later

Head of the Department of criminology at the University of Limpopo, Professor Jaco Barkhuizen, said he remembers when they arrested the wrong person and had to let him go because Police Minister Bheki Cele was pushing police for an arrest.

“It’s eight years later and it seems the police were not doing their due diligence,” he said.

Barkhuizen said it was disappointing that after all these years, a high-profile killing with multiple witnesses around is still unsolved.

“This was justice denied for Meyiwa, for his family and his supporters, and justice denied for South Africa,” he said.

“Take into consideration this was a high-profile murder case, and think about normal people. If it took eight years for a celebrity’s case to be investigated, how long does it take for the non-celebrity to get justice,” he added.

Khumalo has opened up about the death of Meyiwa in numerous interviews, saying the wait for something to come out of the case was “tormenting” because she had done everything in her power to help with the investigation.

“I don’t know those people who broke into the house, otherwise I would have gone to their house and say this is the person who did it, but I’ve given all the information that’s necessary for police to find the perpetrators. I’ve given my testimony to the people that deserve to know, which is the law. Anything beyond that is out of my hands.

“I’m very angry and for me, I feel like the law is failing us. I know they’ve done everything in their power but I feel like if you have fingerprints it should be easy to find someone unless they’re not from the country,” she told eNCA in 2019.

marizkac@citizen.co.za