Safa plans to create statue from illegal guns
THE SA Football Association launched a Senzo Meyiwa Gun Campaign yesterday, encouraging illegal gun owners to surrender their firearms to the authorities.
This follows the slaying of Bafana Bafana captain and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa in Vosloorus two weekends ago.
Safa president Danny Jordaan made the announcement at Safa House in Nasrec at yesterday's naming of the Bafana squad to do duty in this month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan and Nigeria.
He expressed his sorrow that on the day SA coach Shakes Mashaba announced his squad, one prominent name would not be among them – that of Meyiwa, gunned down in an attempted robbery.
"The campaign we are launching today is about unlawful and illegal firearms, not legal ones. We need to mop up all illegal guns and destroy them," Jordaan said.
Jordaan said Safa had proposed building a statue of Meyiwa in front of Safa House from the destroyed firearms.
Members of the campaign committee include Advocate Norman Arendse, Advocate George Bizos, former Pirates great Jomo Sono, former Constitutional Court Judge Kate O'Regan, Justice Yvonne Makgoro, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, and Gun Free SA representative Adele Kirsten.
Sono encouraged football stars to walk away from crime when provoked. He said he had done so many times as some criminals aimed to earn fame by targeting famous people.
Safa executive member Arendse read letters from the families of Meyiwa and Reeva Steenkamp, who added their support to the campaign. - Marc Strydom
