On 26 October 2014, South African football changed forever.

On that Sunday night, South African football was plunged into mourning when Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper and captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed in Vosloorus, on the East Rand.

The Pirates skipper had played the previous night, earning the Man of the Match award after the Buccaneers thrashed the now-defunct Ajax Cape Town 4-1 at Orlando Stadium.

I vividly remember sitting in the media tribune that evening and thinking that Senzo was arguably the best goalkeeper in the country at the time. He had taken over the number one jersey from his longtime friend and rival, Itumeleng Khune, establishing himself as a key figure for both club and country.

Orlando Pirates were competing in the CAF Champions League, while Meyiwa’s international career was reaching new heights. At the start of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, then-Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba made the bold decision to appoint him national team captain.

The announcement surprised many journalists, particularly because Meyiwa was not even the captain at Orlando Pirates. However, Mashaba clearly saw leadership qualities in the goalkeeper, who would go on to lead Bafana Bafana during a successful qualifying campaign.

I remember sitting next to him on a chartered flight back to South Africa after Bafana’s opening 3-0 victory over Sudan. We had travelled to Sudan for the match and returned home immediately afterwards.

It was during that qualifying campaign that Bafana Bafana secured their place at the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea, doing so with impressive ease.

Little did we know that, just weeks later, South African football would lose one of its brightest stars.

THE SUNDAY TRAGEDY

The morning of 26 October 2014 started like any other Sunday for me.

I went to work at 05:30, preparing for my radio shift, which ran from 07:00 to 09:30 at the station where I was working at the time, situated along Jan Smuts Avenue.

Immediately after my shift, I picked up my aunt in Spruitview. I had promised to take her home to Nelspruit, in the area of Engodini. It was a long day on the road, and by the time I was done, I had driven more than 700 kilometres.

On my way back, I also had my regular weekly sports wrap-up, a telephone-in segment on a show hosted by Mike Mwendana at 20:20. We would discuss sports previews, reviews and the major talking points of the week.

I had finally jumped into bed at around 21:20 when my phone rang.

It was my good friend, Mpho Maboi.

She did not even greet me.

All I remember is her asking: “Uzwile ngo Senzo?” - Have you heard about Senzo?

Still half-asleep, I asked what had happened.

Her response changed everything.

“USenzo bamdubulile.” - Senzo has been shot.

In an instant, I was wide awake. The exhaustion of a long day disappeared as the reality of what I had just heard began to sink in.

I immediately called a friend of mine, Treva Kunene, a crime-scene photographer who was already on his way to the scene.

I made my way from Diepkloof to Spruitview. It took me approximately 20 minutes to get there, and, if my memory serves me correctly, I was probably the second journalist at the scene, after the team from the Daily Sun.

By 23:00, several journalists had gathered outside the house. The neighbourhood was gripped by shock and disbelief.

As the night wore on, residents remained on the streets, with a police presence at the scene. Even at 01:00, people were still struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

It was a night that none of us would ever forget.

A NATION IN MOURNING

By 07:00 on Monday morning, the football fraternity was still reeling from the tragedy.

The Premier Soccer League chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza, called a press conference for 11:00 at Rand Stadium. Representatives from numerous media houses attended, alongside figures from across South African football.

Among those present were Kaizer Chiefs football administrator Bobby Motaung and Polokwane City chairman and owner Johnny Mogaladi, who had also come to offer their support during this difficult time.

In the days that followed, memorial services were held across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as the country struggled to process the loss of a player whose career had been cut tragically short.

On 1 November 2014, Meyiwa was laid to rest.

The date had originally been scheduled for the highly anticipated Soweto Derby, a fixture that would instead be played against the backdrop of an immense national loss.

TWELVE YEARS LATER, JUSTICE REMAINS IN FOCUS

Twelve years on, the circumstances surrounding Meyiwa’s death continue to occupy South African public attention, with the murder case proceeding in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria.

His death remains one of the most painful and consequential tragedies in South African football.

For Orlando Pirates supporters, however, Meyiwa will always be remembered for the courage, commitment and goalkeeping brilliance he brought to the club.

At Orlando Stadium, affectionately known by many supporters as the Amstel Arena, the familiar “Senzo Meyiwa” chant remains a powerful reminder of the bond between the goalkeeper and the Buccaneers faithful. When the supporters break into song, they sing with all their hearts, keeping his memory alive.

Twelve years have passed, but the memories remain vivid for those who watched him play, worked alongside him or witnessed the events that followed that fateful night.

Senzo Meyiwa was more than a goalkeeper. He was a captain, a national-team leader and a young man whose life was cut short at the height of his career.

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