Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - When South Africa lost Senzo Meyiwa 11 months ago, it seemed like we would never be able to get over the heartbreak.
But our grief is nothing compared to the hurt felt by Kelly Khumalo and her kids, who were in the house the night the footballer was gunned down.
Talking to True Love recently, Kelly Khumalo opened up about the night Senzo died (read more about that here) and how it has affected her kids.
"I know one day they’ll ask questions. Christian used to ask what happened, but now he doesn’t any more. He was very close to Senzo. In fact, after Senzo was shot, Christian was pulling his hand – I think trying to save him, in a way," she says.
Kelly reveals that Thingo also misses her dad and always calls for him.
"Thingo always says ‘Daddy, Daddy’. Every day she looks at a photo of him in the house," Kelly reveals.
“Not so long ago, she took out her dad’s medal from the drawer and wore it around her neck. She had it on the whole day. I don’t know, but it’s like she sees him,” Kelly adds.
What happened that day
Kelly says the day Senzo was shot the pair had walked to the spaza shop hand in hand, and seemed to be back in love.
Only a few hours later she was with him, as her and her sister rushed the footballer to hospital.
"Everything is still under investigation, as you know. He had been shot and we needed to get him to the hospital. After struggling to get Senzo into the car, my sister, Zandi sat with him in the back, doing everything she could to make sure he didn't close his eyes, telling him how much he was loved. The drive felt like an eternity. My mom was praying for his life in the passenger seat," she reveals.
"When we got to the hospital, he was immediately rushed to the trauma unit, but later lost the battle. The doctors did everything they could to revive him. At some point, I left the room, begging God to spare his life. While I was praying, I heard my mom and sister screaming at the top of their lungs. The screams rang through my ears and pierced deep into a place I can never describe. For a moment, I was not myself anymore. I jumped up and rushed towards the screams, with nothing but fear and hollowness inside of me,"Kelly adds.
When she reached the room she asked for time to be alone with Senzo. "I asked everyone in the room to give me a moment to say goodbye. I have never felt more pain in my life. If I could have done more to try save him, Lord knows I would have," she told the magazine.
