South Africa football captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead in Johannesburg last night as he tried to protect his girlfriend from burglars. The 27-year-old was with on-off girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, a South African pop star, when intruders entered his girlfriend’s house in Vosloorus, a town 20 miles south of Johannesburg. The pair were seen in a picture together earlier on Sunday.
Meyiwa, who played for Orlando Pirates, was shot dead after one of the attackers pointed a gun at Miss Khumalo.
‘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 Kelly because one of the men had a gun pointed towards her.’
The previous day he captained his side as they advanced to the semi-finals of the South African League Cup, defeating Ajax Cape Town 4-1.
We can confirm that Bucs (Pirates) keeper Senzo Meyiwa has been shot and sadly declared dead on arrival at hospital,’ the South African Police Service (SAPS) said on its twitter feed.
The South African goalkeeper was reportedly shot in the chest.
According to the South African Police Service, two men entered the house, around 20:00 (18:00GMT), while a third man remained outside.
All three fled after shots were fired, in what local media reports say was an attempted burglary.
The gang arrived demanding Meyiwa’s mobile phone, according to one report.
His club said in a statement: ‘The Orlando Pirates family has learned with sadness of the untimely death of our number 1 keeper & captain Senzo Meyiwa.
‘This is a sad loss to Senzo’s family especially his children, to Orlando Pirates & the nation’, said Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza.
The club will hold a press conference this morning.
Meyiwa had an on-off relationship with pop star Kelly Khumalo.
He admitted in an interview with Drum magazine that he lied to both his wife Mandisa Mkhize and the singer, who he initially fell for at the Feather Awards in March last year.
Khumalo was initially reluctant to commit to a relationship but he eventually won her over after telling her he was single. Khumalo gave birth to a baby girl this year called Aphelele.
She only found out he was married five months into their relationship, by which time his wife had also heard about the affair when a colleague showed her Khumalo’s Instagram account.
At the time, Meyiwa said: ‘This is all my fault. I lied to them [Khumalo and Mkhize].
‘I approached her [Khumalo] and she asked if I was married. But I wasn’t man enough to tell her the truth. As a result, she fell in love with me.’
He reportedly returned to his marital home in February.
Mendisa was quoted in the Sunday Sun as saying: ‘I’m glad my husband is back home. I’m loving every moment. Senzo is a good man who loves his family. I support him in his career and we are now closer than ever.’
It is understood that Meyiwa and Khumalo had recently rekindled their relationship, with a number of Instagram photos uploaded by the singer in the last month.
Tonight, tributes were paid to the Bafana Bafana star, who had recently been called in to the national side.
Doncaster midfielder Dean Furman, a team-mate of Meyiwa for South Africa, said he was ‘beyond devastated’ at the news.
Furman tweeted: ‘Beyond devastated at the loss of our captain and friend Senzo Meyiwa. Thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this terrible time’.
Andile Jali said: ‘Just got a call and I was sleeping but now I can’t sleep.’
Former national manager Stephen Keshi said: ‘Sad to hear about the passing of the Bafana Bafana Goal Keeper and Captain Senzo Meyiwa. My prayers are with his family and the team.’
Darren Keet, a fellow South African goalkeeper who plays for Belgian club KV Kortrijk and the national side, offered his deepest condolences to Meyiwa’s family and friends.
He wrote: ‘Deeply saddening to hear this news about our captain and friend’, adding that Meyiwa would be ‘missed, but never forgotten’.
Sport minister Fikile Mbalula said the ministry would be in contact with Meyiwa’s family before issuing a full statement.
‘The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Minister Fikile Mbalula, has with deep sorrow taken note of widely publicised reports of the passing away of Orlando Pirates and South African Goal keeper, Senzo Meyiwa,’ the ministry said in a brief statement.
‘The Ministry is currently reaching out to his family and his club and will issue a full statement in due course.’
Meyiwa’s death follows that of another prominent South African sportsman, former world 800 metres champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, who died in a car accident on Friday.
Violent gun crime in South Africa has been highlighted by the trial of Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
More than 17,000 people were murdered in South Africa between April 2013 and March 2014, an increase of about 800 over the previous year, according to police figures.
Mailonline
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