Daily Sun (November 10 2014) - THE NIGHT Senzo died, Terry was sleeping peacefully in his bed. But Senzo's death has pushed him into the spotlight and now he lies awake, fearing a visit from people who want him dead.
THE DEATH OF THE SOCCER STAR HAS CHANGED HIS LIFE FOREVER.
"I have never committed a crime in my life," Terry Ngcwabane (29) from Daveyton, Ekurhuleni told Daily Sun.
Terry was advised by police from the Germiston cop shop to call the People's Paper to clear his name in his kasi.
"There are people who speak evil of me and I spend my days and nights hiding in my room," he said.
Terry said suddenly people were accusing him of having a relationship with Senzo's girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo because he posted a photo of himself posing with her on his Facebook wall.
"I saw Kelly at the Middelburg shopping centre in July and asked her if I could take a picture with her. The picture was taken at the centre's small game park. I've never seen her since," he said.
"But people have used that picture and circulated it on social media with a suspect's identikit picture next to it."
Like everybody else in South Africa, Terry was shocked when he heard that Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates captain Senzo Meyiwa had been shot dead. "I had spent the day with my girlfriend and she had dinner at my house before leaving," said Terry.
"But the following day my friends from around the country started calling me, accusing me of shooting the national soccer team's captain."
Terry's face was all over social media as one of 13 suspects arrested by police.
"I was worried. I went to the Daveyton Police Station on 29 October and officers took me to Vosloorus cop shop where I was questioned," he said.
Then he was taken to Joburg Central Police Station, where he faced an identity parade. "I don't know who was behind the glass at the parade but I was cleared," he said.
"The community isn't interested in the cops' finding. People kept coming to me and telling me they will burn my bakkie before finishing me off."
He took his bakkie to his grandmother's house and didn't go to work for the whole week because people were pointing fingers at him and saying he was a murderer.
On Wednesday he narrowly escaped death when a soccer fan almost knocked him over with his car. The man shouted at him that he was not done with him for the pain he had caused the nation.
They are even accusing him of murder because he is a Kaizer Chiefs fan. "I am innocent and had nothing to do with Senzo's death," said Terry.
He said the dangerous part of the allegations is that people believe anything they hear on the street.
"I thank God every day when I get home safely."
Officers at the police station told him to get a lawyer if he wants to lay charges of defamation against people who submitted his photos to police alleging that he had killed Senzo.
Daily Sun sent an inquiry to the police but didn't get a response by the time of going to press.
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 274 165 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 2nd Quarter 2014) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.
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