AS ZAMBIA MOURNS PRESIDENT SATA, SOUTH AFRICA MOURNS BAFANA CAPTAIN MEYIWA The mortal remains of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa left the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday for Heroes Acre cemetery in Chesterville, where he will be buried. Thousands of supporters left the stands to stand on a ramp and watch the convoy of white Audi Q7s leave the stadium. Football supporters braced the drizzle to watch their hero being whisked away. South Africans turned out in their thousands to pay homage to Meyiwa, who was also captain of Orlando Pirates, at his funeral in the stadium on Saturday. Meyiwa was shot and killed on Sunday evening in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, while visiting his singer girlfriend Kelly Khumalo. Two men allegedly entered the house demanding cellphones and shot him before fleeing. Earlier, Thousands of mourners rose to their feet as the body of Meyiwa arrived at the stadium. A white Audi Q7 carrying the casket drove onto the pitch, flanked by the marching police brass band, and completed a lap of the pitch. The coffin, draped in the South African flag, was followed by KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu, SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan, Premiership and Orlando Pirates players among other dignitaries. Supporters broke down and cried as the brass band made its way towards the marquee where guests were seated. His wife and family leaned against each other as they made their way to the marquee. Midday, Deputy Agriculture Minister Bheki Cele entered the stadium to wild applause. South Africa has lost a son and has lost a captain... we must be here, lets just mourn and say to Senzo farewell, he told reporters. I think South Africans as a whole, not only the state agencies, but everybody, must rise against this criminality and say enough is enough. When asked about calls for him to be reinstated as national police commissioner, Cele said: That is not for me, that is not my call. One of the mourners in the stadium, Bongani Mzekebhaka Tshabalala,mcarried a poster calling for Cele to be reinstated. Tshabalala said earlier that since Cele had left the police, crime was on the increase. Cele reportedly said in 2009 that police should be allowed to shoot to kill criminals. Cele has since denied making the statement, saying he had said police should use deadly force when under attack. When gospel musician Rebecca Malope arrived at stadium earlier, she received a rapturous welcome. The stadium was filled with joyous screams and ululation as she ran to the guest marquee, waving to the crowd. Photographers chased Malope, desperate to snap her picture. Over the public address system it was announced that 25 000 mourners were in the stadium. On Friday, a man appeared in court in connection with Meyiwas murder. Gauteng police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila said: [On Thursday], after receiving very positive information about a number of suspects, we conducted an identity parade during which some of the witnesses positively identified one person. The 25-year-old Vosloorus resident, Zenokuhle Mbatha, was arrested and charged on the basis of the positive identification. The National Prosecuting Authority said Mbatha would appear in the Boksburg Magistrates Court again on November 11, when he was expected to apply for legal aid. (Supersport)
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 13:40:11 +0000