KwaZulu-Natal on return of Lindani Myeni’s mortal remains

KZN Government hits out at lack of co-operation by Honololu Police - “being black is not a crime”

The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Sihle Zikalala, on behalf of the Provincial Executive Council, has bemoaned the lack of co-operation by the Honolulu Police Department in releasing pertinent information about the investigation into the death of Lindani Myeni.

This follows a number of attempts to get assistance from the police regarding reports and critical information which to date have yielded no results.

To add salt into the wound, the Consul-General, Ms Babalwa Sunduza and the Myeni family have advised us that the police have not even cooperated with the request to return the deceased missing items including his phone, ring and headphones.

Myeni was fatally shot during an altercation with three White US police officers outside his residence in Nuuanu in Hawaii (US).

The Premier says this apparent lack of value for human life by these law enforcement authorities is a worrying sign.

“Judging by their attitude we can only conclude that they lack respect for Black lives. We call on the people of this province, the country, Africa and the World not to keep quiet about this injustice.

“Being Black is not a scourge,” says Premier Zikalala. “It is not a crime. But when you consider the conduct of the police in Honolulu, you begin to realise that they’re not taking this incident seriously.

They are behaving as if nothing happened. It’s as if this life didn’t matter at all. A person was killed here, not a fly. This was someone’s son, husband, father and friend who died under very questionable circumstances. The least we expect from them is some transparency and accountability.

“As a country with a painful history of race-based violence, an incident such as this one touches a raw nerve in us because our wounds are still very fresh. This injustice cannot, and should not, be left unchallenged.

“Therefore, as the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we are calling on South Africans to rise up and make a strong statement against this abomination.

“We are also calling for intervention from the highest office in the US. We know that US President Joe Biden has an illustrious history as a crusader for human rights and justice.

We are confident that if he could intervene in this case and start asking questions, we would start to see some progress.”

Update on the return of Lindani Myeni’s mortal remains

The Premier also announced that the provincial Cabinet had taken a decision to support the repatriation and funeral arrangements for Mr Lindani Mnyeni. The Executive Council also resolved to deploy Members of the Executive Council to support the Family and facilitate Myeni’s mortal remains arrival from Johannesburg after which they will be transported to his home at Esikhaleni.

The MEC’s include:

  • MEC Ms H Mavimbela - Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture
  • MEC Mrs N Khoza – Social Development
  • MEC Mr N Sibiya- Human Settlements and Public Works
  • Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize – Director-General

Mr Lindani Myeni’s remains are expected to arrive at the OR Tambo Airport, tomorrow, Friday, 30 April 2021 at 10h40am.

The body will be released to the family on Saturday the 1st May 2021.

A short prayer service will then be held by the receiving committee and the family.

The body will then be transported to KwaZulu-Natal.

More details on Lindani Myeni’s funeral and memorial services will be released in due course.

For more information contact:
Lennox Mabaso
Head of KZN Provincial Government Communication
Cell: 082 884 2403

Thami Ngidi
Cell: 066 306 6793

Province

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