“SENZO KILLED WHILE TRYING TO SEPARATE ZANDI AND BOYFRIEND LONGWE,” INSISTS MEYIWA’S BROTHER

Sifiso Meyiwa, elder brother of slain Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa, has insisted that his younger brother was killed while trying to separate Zandile Khumalo and her boyfriend Longwe Twala as they were involved in a scuffle.

Zandile Khumalo is the younger sister of famous singer Kelly Khumalo, while Longwe Twala is the son of equally famous singer Sello “Chicco” Twala.

According to Sifiso Meyiwa, Longwe Twala was angry because he (Longwe) suspected that one of his brother Senzo Meyiwa’s friends was secretly having a romantic affair with his girlfriend Zandile Khumalo.

“A scuffle broke out between Zandile and Longwe and when Senzo tried to separate the two lovers a shot rang out; fatally wounding him (Senzo Meyiwa),” said Sifiso Meyiwa.

The incident happened at the home of Kelly Khumalo’s parents in Vosloorus on 26 October 2014.

“One of the people who was in the house at the time of the shooting incident Tumelo, told me on the very same night Senzo died that my brother was shot by mistake while trying to break a scuffle between Zandi and Longwe,” said a distraught Sifiso as he spoke to Tshwane Talks at the Union Buildings on Tuesday.

Friends, supporters and family members of Senzo Meyiwa had staged a protest march to the Union Buildings to deliver a memorandum of complaints to President Cyril Ramaphosa as they are of the opinion that the murder case is moving slowly and that the wrong people are on trial for the death of Senzo Meyiwa.

Around 30 people turned up for the march.

“The real perpetrators have not been charged; those people who are in court are not the real suspects,” said Sifiso Meyiwa.

“Even Orlando Pirates FC boss Dr Irvin Khoza told me that Senzo was not killed by criminals and that if the real killers were to be revealed then there will be trouble for them ( killers) as supporters of Senzo would likely avenge his death,” enthused Meyiwa.

“Docket number 375, which prosecutors don’t want to pursue, is the one which has the names of the right suspects, and investigators who are busy with it give me regular updates about this very docket, which they say they are still investigating,” he said.

When asked what he would like to say to the Khumalo sisters Kelly and Zandile, Sifiso Meyiwa broke down in tears and lamented the fact that the two sisters won’t change their statements and tell the truth because they know that they lied to the police.

“They know that they will be arrested for telling lies because they removed Senzo’s body knowing full well that he had died right inside the house,” he griped.

“We are a family that believes in prayer; we believe in God; we have hope that we will find justice; our God is a God of justice,” he said.

At the moment the case of five men arrested for the death of Senzo Meyiwa is still going on albeit at a slow pace at he Pretoria High Court.

The accused are Muzi Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli.

The case started in 2022 and has in the process been marred by numerous delays caused by the suspension of Judge Tshifiwa Maumela from judicial duties due to incompetence in 2023; the ignoble arrest of then advocate Malesela Teffo in April 2022 and the death of Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu in December 2024.

Long lists of witnesses called by the defence, as well as several trails-within-a- trial requests initiated by the defence have also contributed to the delay in finalising the case.

At the moment the prosecution has already closed its case.