By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Singer Kelly Khumalo says the criminal justice system in South Africa has failed to protect her from death threats she has received.
In an exclusive interview with eNCA, Kelly, who sat alongside her lawyer Magdelene Moonsamy, held nothing back.
The singer spoke candidly about all things Senzo and how she’s been dealing with everything. She said she is happy that the trial of the five men accused of the murder of the former Bafana Bafana star has begun.
”We have a problem in our country and this is not just about Kelly Khumalo, the musician. This is about an individual in the pits and darkest place of wherever it is, where they lose loved ones and justice is not served.
“I think the lowest point for me is being let down by the law. As a SA citizen I trust and believe in the law to protect not just me, but my family and our society. But with what has happened to me, I have had my life threatened and family threatened, not once, but multiple times. And I feel like the law is not coming into place to protect and make me feel like that it is within my right to have protection for myself and family,” Kelly said.
She boldly said “I was Kelly Khumalo before Senzo Meyiwa. I did not know who Senzo Meyiwa was until a friend of mine, Lucia Mthiyane explained to me who he was.”
“Nobody knew who Senzo Meyiwa was until he was attached to the brand Kelly Khumalo. I have nothing to gain with either his wins or his losses. All I had was love for him, nothing else.”
The singer also shared that she still missed Senzo and she thought about him “all the time” and she still thinks he would have been an amazing father to their daughter Thingo, who is now eight years old.
Expressing her disappointment at how the trial has unfolded, Moonsamy said they will leave no stone unturned in their quest for justice.
“We just need to be sure that we are able to accumulate all of these allegations and present them in a solidified, sophisticated and elegant manner. If the jurisdiction of South Africa does not satisfy us, we will escalate it,” said Moonsamy.
Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed on 26 October 2014 whilst at the home of Kelly Khumalo’s mother in Vosloorus. Kelly and the six other occupants of the house claim that the soccer star was killed in a robbery gone wrong.
Meanwhile Orlando Pirates boss Irvin Khoza has opened up about the pain he still feels eight years after the death of his club’s former goalkeeper Meyiwa.
Khoza says the fact is that they still do not know what happened on October 26, the day Meyiwa was killed.
“I am not at peace,” Khoza said, It is quite unfortunate what has happened in terms of what we are consuming on TV and the riddle that is unfolding every time.
“It is confusing to all of us – to see what it is that we do not know that has taken place to create this kind of confusion, from the Hawks, the witnesses, the neighbours, and people who were in the house, it is just confusing,” Khoza added.
He recalled how Meyiwa had joined Pirates as a teenager and how he had never thought he would take him home in the manner that he had to.
“Unfortunately, (Meyiwa’s death) happened at a time when he was captain of my club and the national team. That’s why when I took his body to the family, I said to the family, ‘I am happy to bring your son – but I am not happy to bring him back lifeless.’
“When they find the culprit, then I will be at peace. I don’t think the boy deserves that kind of treatment because he was a gentleman. The boy deserved better and gave so much for the club,” said the Pirates chairman.