He was the cherished captain of the South African national soccer team, Bafana Bafana and as well as Orlando Pirates.
Until the day he was shot and killed in Vosloorus.
Footballer Senzo Meyiwa's death shocked the nation at the time and there are still questions. While there were six witnesses at the scene including some of his closest friends, they couldn't shed light on the killers.
Six years later, five suspects and alleged hitmen for hire stood on trial, and eight years into the investigation, the case has not been resolved.
Fans have been waiting for justice and the family has not been able to get closure.
The accused are Muzikawulahlelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mothobisi Mncube, Mthokosenzi Maphisa, and Sifikuhlenhle Nkani Ntuli. They recently appeared in court with a new lawyer and the trial is set to go ahead from April 2022.
According to a police report, investigations revealed that it was a robbery gone wrong after two men came into the house.
The police minister Bheki Cele said, “While years have gone by, we remain confident that these arrests are the start of bringing closure for Senzo Meyiwa’s family friends and fans as well as millions of South Africans.”
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On 7 April 2022, Netflix launches a five-part docu-series titled Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star and they aim to unpack the unresolved murder.
In the doccie-series, Senzo’s family, investigators, key witnesses, and sports commentators aim to unpack the truth behind this high-profile murder.
It's put together by production companies Storyscope and Real Eyes, directed by Sara Blecher and produced by Thandi Davids, Neil Brandt, and Tendeka Matatu. In the series, sports broadcaster Robert Marawa, former Hawks head Shadrack Sibiya, as well as Advocate Gerrie Nel and Meyiwa’s family members share their thoughts on the footballer’ death. They delve into the beloved soccer star’s murder, sharing insight into what transpired that fateful night when Meyiwa was gunned down during an alleged to be a botched robbery.
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In 2019, Senzo’s father Samuel Meyiwa passed while still fighting for justice for his son. He suffered a stroke and the family said it was grief and stress caused by his son's investigation.
Senzo’s family told Move! that Samuel passed suddenly one morning after suffering a stroke from not recovering from his son’s death and that he had his first stroke in August 2016.
The family spokesperson Nathi Ngwenya said at the time of Samuel’s death that his passing was a shock to all.
“We are shocked and heartbroken. We just lost him this morning so it’s difficult to even put our emotions into words. Samuel was the head of our family so losing him is no small thing for us.”
Speaking on his last days, Nathi said that the happiest Samuel Meyiwa had been since Senzo’s death was last year when the Senzo Meyiwa Commemoration Games were held at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi.
“That was the happiest I had seen him. He was finally happy that his son was recognized and celebrated for the first time since he was murdered. It seemed to us that his health was improving from then on but only a few months later, we began to see the stress and heartbreak come back.”
