Tough Senzo case but ‘we can’t give up’
There’s something there – Mbalula
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula yesterday reiterated his promise that the killers of former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa would be arrested, but admitted that the case was difficult to crack.
Speaking during an interview on the SABC News channel, Mbalula said he has prioritised Meyiwa’s case because “there’s something there and we can’t give up, but the case is complicated”.
Mbalula came under fire a week ago after veteran musician and producer Sello “Chicco” Twala described the minister as “useless” in dealing with Meyiwa’s case.
Twala, whose son Longwe was one of the people who were with Meyiwa when he was killed at his girlfriend singer Kelly Khumalo’s Vosloorus house on October 26 2014, also blasted Mbalula for failing to update him on the progress of the police investigation into the case.
Retorted Mbalula yesterday: “I have no luxury to exchange dinners and phone calls with Twala. [Chicco] is better protected when he subjects himself to a police investigation.”
Twala and his son scoffed at the claims in a Metro FM interview a fortnight ago that they had a hand in Meyiwa’s death. This followed growing allegations and claims on social media that Longwe had used his father’s gun to shoot Meyiwa and that Twala knew about it.
Meanwhile, Mbalula also revealed in the same interview that police could not arrest some of the suspects linked to the controversial R220-million Estina Dairy Farm empowerment project because they were in Dubai, China and India.
“Thirteen suspects have been identified and warrants of arrest have been served. Of these 13, eight have been arrested in the Free State and Johannesburg,” he said.
“Yes, there are people in the family of the Guptas [who’ve been arrested and sought by the police].” He said police were constrained by the law not to name suspects before they appeared in court.
“... it’s been discovered that three that are being sought have left the country. Two of them are of Indian descent and one Chinese.”