Police on Senzo Meyiwa murder investigation update

23 Jun 2015

The South African Police Service has noted media reports regarding the police investigation into the murder of Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates captain, Senzo Meyiwa, and his life insurance payout.

We can confirm that Senzo's father approached the investigators indicating that he was upset with the police because the insurance company wouldn't pay out until the investigation has been completed.

We informed him that the payout can still take place although the investigation is not complete. The only time the payout could be delayed due to a pending investigation is if the police believed that there was foul play involving life insurance money. This is not the case in this murder investigation. Senzo's father therefore appears to have been misled.

Furthermore, management of the police is extremely concerned about negative media reports insinuating that the case is not being treated as a priority and that the police have reached a dead-end in their investigations. This is not the case at all.

The investigators have appealed to Senzo's father on several occasions not to release details of the investigation to the public. This is not helping at all, because we are now faced with a situation where one of the possible suspects has gone underground after hearing through Senzo's father that the police were looking for him.

We have assembled a high-level and well-resourced team under the guidance of Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo, Divisional Commissioner for Detective Services, and Major General Vincent Leshabane, Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Detectives, with Brigadier Johan Ndlovu and Colonel Moabi Modise coordinating at an operational level. A detailed investigation plan was compiled and it is being meticulously implemented.

Moreover, we have deployed seven people, led by a captain, on a full-time basis to the case. The team is comprised of members from the Detectives, the Hawks, Crime Intelligence and a forensic psychologist. They are supported by a track-and-tracing team of 40 members who are called in when needed. The ballistics part of the investigation is being done by Major Chris Mangena.

The Forensic Services Division has allocated a dedicated team which will process all material of evidential value so that there are no delays. We also brought in members of the special task team investigating Radovan Krecjir to assist. Any firearm which is recovered during a police operation, as well as through an investigation, is tested to check if it was used in the murder of Senzo.

So far, we have collected close to 110 documents, inclusive of the statements of 86 possible witnesses. Some of the individuals had to be re-interviewed several times as new information came to light. The people who were in the house at the time of the incident are cooperating fully with the investigation. We are also following up on leads provided by other witness who were outside the house at the time of the incident.

The team has been to various parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, following up on close to a 100 leads received through Crime Stop, police stations, government and soccer officials. We followed each and every lead painstakingly. Almost 30 people have already been questioned.

Given the heightened media attention, information peddlers are also very active, spreading cooked up stories about who killed Senzo. Other people take what is in the media, spice it up and approach us with stories.

But not all false leads have turned out negatively. One of the leads brought us into contact with a fraudster, Serame George Shabalala of Garankuwa. He allegedly phoned Kelly Khumalo's friends saying to them that Kelly had been arrested. He claimed to be the police officer who had arrested her and wanted bail money of R3000 to be deposited at a supermarket money market.

The team received the information and followed it up. He was arrested and found in possession of lot of bank cards, credit cards, cellphones, sim cards and laptops. Shabalala had managed to convince a number of people of his credentials, particularly celebrities. Shabalala is not linked to the murder of Senzo. He appeared last week at Randburg court and is still in custody.

As it relates to threats on Sam Meyiwa's life, an unknown person called the Bhekithemba police station in Umlazi claiming someone wanted to hire him to kill Senzo's father. He provided three cellphone numbers. One was traced to an elderly man in Mamelodi and two others to owners of a security company in Pretoria. They could not be linked to the allegation. A case of intimidation has been opened and investigations are underway to try to determine who called the police station.

We would like to assure the nation that we are working extremely hard on this case and that we will not rest until those who killed Senzo are brought to justice. We would like the media to give us the space to conduct a thorough investigation. Some investigations are not simple and straightforward. They take twists and turns which require meticulous follow-up by the police. This is one such investigation. We want to solve this crime and we are doing everything possible in that regard. We will provide an update as and when we reach a stage when it is possible to do so.

Statement issued by Lt Gen Solomon Makgale, South African Police Service, June 23 2015