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Lindani Myeni a ‘gentle giant who loved people’

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Former rugby player Lindani Myeni has been described as a gentle giant who loved people. Myeni’s family and friends gathered at the Empangeni Rugby Club on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast to commemorate his life.

The 29-year-old was shot and killed during a confrontation with police in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the United States. The officers’ version is that they responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a location near his home.

It was a bitter-sweet moment for the more than 100 people who gathered at the Empangeni Rugby Club to bid a final farewell to Myeni. This is the same place where they had spent many practice sessions with him.

Many wore t-shirts with Myeni’s face and #LindanisLifeMatters on it.

Lindani Myeni Memorial Service:

Emotional tributes and humorous memories were shared by friends and family. His friends from near and far reminisced about the times they shared together on and off the rugby field.

Myeni’s friend, Celest Asuega, broke down when he described Myeni, saying he inspired him with his love for family.

Myeni’s cousin, Siyabonga Mtshali, remembered him as a humble person.

“Lindani was such a great friend, beautiful soul and never looked down on anyone. He loved his family. Lindani was someone who would drive to come and see you even if you lived an hour away. He was a genuine, loving person. I remember when he drove an hour because he thought he forgot the house key. Lindani, I love you.”

Friends and family pay tribute to Lindani Myeni:

‘Irreplaceable void’

It is clear that Myeni’s death has left an irreplaceable void for his wife and two young children. His wife Lindsay Myeni, who has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Honolulu police, says she drew strength from her South African family.

“The family and friends have been so overwhelmingly supportive and loving and Zulu people really know the sense of family. I need the government to help me get citizenship so I can stay in my children’s home country without my husband. We always wanted the flexibility to be in whichever country that the kids can prosper most and now I feel this is the safest country for them. I don’t want to raise kids that are considered black in America where clearly it’s not safe.”

Call for Biden’s intervention

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala renewed his call on US President Joe Biden to intervene in the police investigation into Myeni’s murder. Zikalala alleges that there are some who want people to believe that Myeni was a violent person.

The premier, however, described Myeni as a gentle giant who would not hurt anyone.

“We pin our hope on the US authorities including US President, Joe Biden, that his intervention, as well as the social organisations, might help turn the wheels of justice so that we will know what happened with the life of Lindani. So with that, we say farewell to him, but to his wife, his grandmother, and umndeni wonke wakaMyeni, we say be comforted. May you understand that the Lord will never desert you. Uhambe kahle, Lindani!”

Premier Sihle Zikalala pays tribute to Lindani Myeni:

Myeni’s family received a jersey from the Zululand Rugby Union. He will be laid to rest on Saturday in Empangeni. -Reporting by Nonhlakanipho Magwaza

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