Senzo Robert Meyiwa (24 January 1984 – 26 October 2014) was a South African professional footballer who played goalkeeper for Orlando Pirates and captained both the club and the South Africa national team. He joined Orlando Pirates as a backup goalkeeper in 2005 and became the club's first-choice goalkeeper by 2012, before being named team captain in 2014 during his final four appearances for the club. He earned seven caps for South Africa with six clean sheets, making his international debut in June 2013 and captaining the national team in his last four appearances during 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. His final international match was a scoreless draw against Congo on 15 October 2014, and his last club appearance came on 25 October 2014, a 4-1 win over Ajax Cape Town in the Carling Knockout Cup.
On 26 October 2014, Meyiwa was shot and killed during a robbery at his girlfriend's house in Vosloorus. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital in Johannesburg. Three people were believed to have been involved in the shooting, and police released composite images of two suspects. One suspect, Zamokuhle Mbatha, was arrested on 31 October 2014 and appeared in court, but was freed on 11 November 2014 due to a lack of evidence. In October 2020, five men were charged with Meyiwa's murder; the suspects denied involvement in the killing. No trial outcome is reported in the sources reviewed for this dossier.
Meyiwa's death prompted a broad public reaction in South Africa. The Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, scheduled for 1 November 2014, was postponed as a mark of respect. President Jacob Zuma mourned the loss and called for those responsible for the killing to be found, and then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the death as a "senseless, tragic loss." Meyiwa was given a state funeral at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 1 November 2014, attended by football and political figures, and was buried in Chesterville, KwaZulu-Natal. His death also drew attention to South Africa's high rates of crime and murder.His tombstone and school register recorded a birth date of 24 January 1984, rather than the 24 September 1987 date previously associated with him, making him 30 rather than 27 years old at the time of his death.
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