In light of the release of new video evidence in the murder case of Lindani Myeni who was shot and killed by police officers in Honolulu, Hawaii, the DA urges the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to ensure continued engagement with US authorities to ensure justice is served for his untimely death.
The Honolulu police have previously defended their actions of shooting Myeni saying that he had acted violently when he was being apprehended for an alleged house burglary. The new video footage which has emerged however shows Myeni as calm and composed.
The new evidence not only shows that the authorities have been less than economical with the truth but that the South African government has the right to be asking questions in order to ascertain what has really happened to Myeni.
It is important that the principles of unity and fairness are upheld. We fight for these ideals daily in South Africa and so it is consistent that we would continue to fight for it abroad too. Whilst we respect sovereign borders, we have a responsibility to our citizens.
We also note that in line with South Africa having the right to take responsibility for their citizens abroad, we recognize that reciprocity exists for those countries to ask the same questions from our authorities when crimes are committed against their citizens.
The South African government has a duty to ensure that justice is served in the senseless killing of Lindani Myeni.
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