Senzo Meyiiwa, Kapten Timnas Afrika Selatan Tewas Ditembak
South Africa Football Captain Meyiwa Shot Dead
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
Johannesburg (B2B) - Senzo Meyiwa, kapten tim sepak bola Afrika Selatan Senzo Meyiwa tewas ditembak oleh para penyusup setelah mencoba melindungi teman wanitanya saat terjadi perampokan di rumahnya di dekat Johannesburg, kata pejabat setempat Senin.
Kiper klub Orlando Pirates berusia 27 tahun itu tewas pada Minggu setelah mengalami luka tembak di dada di rumah pacarnya Kelly Khumalo, seorang aktris dan juga penyanyi setempat, di kota Vosloorus.
"Dua orang masuk rumah dan meminta ponsel, uang dan harta benda lainnya," kata pejabat keamanan publik provinsi Sizakele Nkosi-Malubane.
"Senzo mencoba melindungi Kelly karena satu dari mereka menodongkan senjata api yang diarahkan ke pacarnya itu," katanya, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Polisi pada Minggu mengatakan, dua laki-laki itu masuk rumah Khumalo sekitar pukul 8 malam waktu setempat, satu lainnya lainnya menunggu di luar rumah dan ketiganya kabur secepatnya setelah menembak Senzo.
Meyiwa menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya saat tiba di rumah sakit, tambah polisi.
Sementara itu pelatih Afrika Selatan Ephraim Mashaba memastikan beberapa rekan satu tim Meyiwa tiba di rumah sakit tidak lama setelah penembakan itu.
"Kami bisa pastikan seluruh warga Afrika Selatan akan bersama-sama mencari dan membawa para pembunuh Meyiwa," demikian dikatakan polisi Afrika Selatan dalam Twitter yang juga mencantumkan hadiah 13.700 dolar AS bagi yang bisa menangkap pembunuh itu.
Meyiwa adalah kapten timnas Afrika Selatan dalam empat pertandingan terakhir di penyisihan Piala Afrika tanpa kemasukan gol dan ikut bertanding pada Sabtu ketika klub nya melangkah ke semifinal Piala Liga Afrika Selatan.
"Ini sangat menyedihkan bagi keluarga Senzo, Orlando Pirates dan juga timnas," kata ketua Pirates Irvin Khoza.
Kasus pelanggaraan penggunaan senjata api yang menyebabkan kematian Meyiwa terjadi kurang dari sepekan setelah pelari Paralympic Oscar Postorius diganjar hukuman penjara lima tahun karena menembak pacarnya Reeva Steenkamp.
Lebih dari 17.000 orang terbunuh di Afrika Selatan antara April 2013 hingga Maret 2014, atau meningkat 800 orang lebih dibanding periode sebelumnya, demikian menurut polisi.
Johannesburg - South Africa soccer captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead by intruders when trying to protect his girlfriend during a robbery at her home near Johannesburg, officials said on Monday.
The 27-year-old Orlando Pirates goalkeeper died on Sunday after suffering a single shot through the chest at the home of girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, a local actress and singer, in the township of Vosloorus.
“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.”
Police on Sunday said two men entered Khumalo’s house about 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT). A third waited outside the house and all three fled immediately after the shooting.
Meyiwa was declared dead on arrival at hospital, the police added.
South Africa coach Ephraim Mashaba comforted several of Meyiwa’s team mates who arrived at the hospital not long after the shooting.
“We can assure all South Africans that we will do all we can to bring Meyiwa's killers (to) book,” the South African Police Servicer said on its Twitter account, offering a reward of R150,000 ($13,700).
Meyiwa captained South Africa in their last four matches in the African Nations Cup qualifiers without conceding a goal and played on Saturday when his club advanced to the semi-finals of the South African League Cup.
“This is a sad loss which ever way you look at it –- to Senzo’s family, his extended family, Orlando Pirates and to the nation,” Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza said in a statement.
Meyiwa's death has further highlighted South Africa's rampant gun violence less than a week after Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius was given a five-year jail sentence for culpable homicide after 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.
