The Friends of Senzo Meyiwa picketed at the Union Buildings, calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in the murder case of the soccer star killed in 2014.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
On Tuesday, demonstrators gathered outside the Union Buildings under the banner of Friends of Senzo Meyiwa, calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to exert pressure on law enforcement to give the prosecution and investigation of the soccer player's 2014 murder top priority.
They specifically called on Ramaphosa to ensure that the South African Police Service (SAPS), Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), and the National Prosecuting Authority speed up the investigation into the five people present when Meyiwa was shot at his singer girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s family home in Vosloorus.
Their spokesperson, Herbert Maphumulo, said the demonstration's purpose was to hand over a memorandum of demands because they are tired of the State’s alleged cover-up of the murder case.
He said two cases have been opened against the prosecutor and the investigating officer for allegedly fabricating evidence in Meyiwa’s murder.
The murder trial of the five accused - Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Sifisokuhle Ntuli, Mthobisi Prince Ncube, Bongani Ntanzi, and Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa - is currently under way at the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.
When asked what the picketers hoped to achieve by coming to the Presidency, Maphumulo said: “We are hoping that the president will give this case the same attention he gave to Phala Phala when his dollars were stolen, and state resources were used to recover them. We would like the president to give this case the same attention he gave to the Marikana case, where people were killed for demanding a fair wage increase.”
Participants also claimed that the SAPS and IPID were delaying investigations into the cases opened against the police and the State prosecutor.
They called on the government to ensure the Hawks investigate such cases.
Maphumulo said the call to refer the matters to the Hawks had previously been made to suspended SAPS Commissioner Fannie Masemola, but he was reluctant to do so.
“The question is: why are they reluctant to refer these matters to the Hawks? It is a high-profile case. Approximately 10 witnesses have been assassinated in connection with the case. Our request to the Minister of Police and the president is that they prioritise this matter and refer it to the Hawks.”
The Friends of Senzo Meyiwa picketed at the Union Buildings, calling on the President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in the murder case of the soccer star killed in 2014.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
He said the protesters also called for those responsible for Meyiwa’s murder to be arrested, arguing that the people currently on trial are not the correct suspects.
He believed that the people who should have been charged with murder are those who were inside the house when Meyiwa was shot.
“The State is busy protecting the five people who were inside the house,” Maphumolo said.
One of the cases was opened in March 2026 by Meyiwa’s older brother, Sifiso Meyiwa.
Sifiso said: “We are here because we want justice for Senzo. It is clear that the State does not want the right accused arrested. They are busy with the wrong suspects in court, and that is why I ended up opening a case for defeating the ends of justice.”
He said he wanted the Hawks to investigate the case because the police investigation was moving at a snail’s pace.
“We want the president to take action and put pressure so that the two cases opened against the State are investigated.”
Sifiso alleged that police confiscated the phone of one of the accused, Ntanzi, and fabricated evidence to build what he called a non-existent case.
One protester, Bongiwe Mkhize, expressed disappointment that after almost 12 years, no justice has been served for Meyiwa’s death.
She said the case was frustrating because those inside the house when Meyiwa was shot seemed unwilling to tell the truth about what actually happened.