Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead in October 2014, while he was at a party at the home of his then girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus at the East Rand.
Five suspects have been arrested for their alleged role in the killing of former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates captain Senzo Meyiwa.
One of the suspects is believed to have been one of the people who pulled the trigger. The arrests took place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal this morning.
Meyiwa was shot dead on this day in October 2014, while he was at a party at the home of his then girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus at the East Rand.
Coincidentally, the arrests took place exactly six years after his shooting.
The suspects are due to appear at the Boksburg magistrate’s court tomorrow, when they will be formally charged.
The news was announced at a media briefing held in Pretoria by Minister of Police Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole.
“We listened to the outcry of the public, when they complained about numerous cases which went cold …” said Sitole.
He added that the arrests arose from the efforts of the newly formed cold case team and was assisted by a multidisciplinary integrated approach to this investigation, which is working closely with the directorate for public prosecution.
Sitole said that the investigation is ongoing, and that the police expect to make more arrests.
On the day of the killing, there were seven people in the house in Vosloorus; Sitole said that, of the people arrested today, only two were in the house that day.
The case has dragged on, with many people doubting that the perpetrators will ever be found. But Cele said that the South African Police Service and the prosecution team “are confident that we have a water-tight case against all five suspects”.
These arrests come after reports that police had found a firearm — which was allegedly used to kill Meyiwa — in a safe at the Cleveland police station.
Sitole said that the police have been looking for the weapon for the duration of the investigation — and that they used forensics to connect the suspect and the weapon to the scene of the crime.
This was a very complex case and it required the use of many investigation tactics, Sithole said.
Cele said that he is due to speak to Meyiwe’s family this evening, to give them an update about the case. The family found out about the arrests only through the press briefing. The minister said this was to avoid any leaks about the investigation.