By Andrew Warshaw
October 27 – South African football has been plunged into mourning after national team captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead by intruders at his girlfriend’s home.
Reports said the 27-year-old Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, who had been skippering the national side in the absence of regular captain, Itumeleng Khune, had tried to stand up to the men after they entered the house in Vosloorus, a township south of Johannesburg, but was declared dead on arrival at hospital.
In a statement, the South African Police Service said two men had entered the house while a third remained outside in what local media reports say was a botched burglary attempt.
“Two guys entered the house and demanded cellphones, money and other valuables,” provincial Community Safety official Sizakele Nkosi-Malubane told reporters at the scene. “Senzo tried to protect (girfriend) Kelly (Khumalo, a local actress and singer) because one of the men had a gun pointed towards her.”
Only a few hours earlier Meyiwa, who had played in South Africa’s previous four Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and had yet to concede a goal, was in action for his club as they progressed to the semi-finals of the South African League Cup with a 4-1 win over Ajax Cape Town.
The tragedy stunned the entire nation and once again highlighted South Africa’s appaling and senseless crime rate. Although there were few serious incidents during the 2010 World Cup, which went off relatively peacefully, more than 17,000 people were murdered in South Africa between April 2013 and March this year, an increase of about 800 over the previous year, according to police figures.
With the Oscar Pistorius case still very much in peoples’ minds, teammates and friends of Meyiwa as well as the general public voiced their horror as they took to social media. “This is a sad loss whichever way you look at it, to Senzo’s family, his extended family, Orlando Pirates and to the nation.” said Pirates’ chairman Irvin Khoza.
South Africa coach Ephraim Mashaba comforted several of Meyiwa’s team mates who arrived at the hospital shortly after the shooting. “We can assure all South Africans that we will do all we can to bring Meyiwa’s killers (to) book,” the South African Police Servicer said, offering a reward of R150,000 (£8,500).
Meyiwa’s death was the second tragedy to hit South African sport within three days after former world 800m athletics champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi died on Friday in a car crash.
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