Five suspects arrested in Senzo Meyiwa killing

Exactly six years to the day that renowned footballer Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead, the Minister of Police Bheki Cele has announced there has been a breakthrough in his murder case, with the arrest of five suspects.

Cele made the long-awaited revelation during a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday, October 26, 2020.

“After gathering sufficient intelligence-driven information, I am happy to announce that there has been a breakthrough in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case. The first five suspects have been arrested between 08:00 and 10:00 this morning in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. These arrests are as a result of a multi-disciplinary integrated approach to this investigation, which is working closely with the director for public prosecution,”

Minister of Police Bheki Cele

The latest development potentially puts to bed, a six-year-long case that has haunted the police ministry.

Cele is confident their case is solid and also said they could not rule out the possibility of more arrests in the case.

“The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the prosecution team are confident that we have a watertight case against the five suspects. At this point, we cannot reveal any further information as the investigation is still ongoing and more arrests cannot be ruled out,” he further said.

Two of the suspects were in the house when Meyiwa was shot

Meyiwa, an Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, was shot dead in Vosloorus, at the home of his girlfriend, singer and actress Kelly Khumalo on 26 October 2014.

There have been conflicting reports surrounding the circumstances surrounding his death. While it was initially claimed armed robbers who stormed the house, had killed the star, IOL has reported that Meyiwa was actually shot after trying to intervene during a quarrel Longwe Twala had been having with his then girlfriend Zandi Khumalo. She is the sister Meyiwa’s girlfriend, whom many have accused of protecting those who killed him.

The minister said a special team has been allocated to look into the case in 2018.

“South Africans from all corners joined the Meyiwa family  in demanding justice for this brutal murder. [However] with no arrests, hope of whether Senzo Meyiwa’s killers would be found began to fade away for some. But not for us in the SA Police Service,” he said.

While the details remain sketchy, two of the suspects were in the house the day he was shot.

The suspects will be appearing before the Boksburg Magistrate’s court on Tuesday, 27 October 2020.