While Senzo Meyiwa’s senseless murder in 2014 rocked South Africa, his father’s death is a reminder of the struggles facing many parents in crime-ridden areas in South Africa, writes JOHN GOLIATH.

I had the privilege of spending some time with the late Senzo Meyiwa in the weeks leading up to his untimely death. It was also the time I got to see his passion for his country and what the Bafana Bafana jersey meant to him as a player.

We had travelled to Pointe-Noir in the Republic of Congo to a crucial 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. A win would be a huge result for South Africa but required a massive effort to pull it off in front of a hostile and partisan crowd.

As we entered the stadium, people hit the team bus with their hands and plastic bottles, trying to intimidate the players. I was a bit concerned, especially because about 35,000 screaming and dancing Congolese crammed into the 15,000-capacity venue.

Captain Senzo, though, looked on with a steely glare, seemingly unflustered by the attentions of the locals. However, those emotions came streaming out when the national anthem was sung before kick-off. Most of it was a flood of pride bursting out.

I remember the gooseflesh on my arms after the anthem was done. Then came that feeling that we are about to witness something special, a rare moment of magic from Bafana on their travels in Africa.

Bafana proceeded to produce one of the gutsiest displays to win that match 2-0, with Meyiwa making some breathtaking saves to keep the Congolese attackers at bay. I still remember the sheepish smile on his face when quizzed about the win by the media.

No doubt Pa Sam was beaming with pride back in South Africa, watching his boy with the big bum defy the laws of gravity and physics to fly around and make spectacular save after spectacular save.

However, a few weeks later the joy turned into a pain. The light of that victory turned into darkness and despair. A nation shocked. A patriot’s fire extinguished. A father left shattered.

No father should ever have to bury his son. Sam Meyiwa had to bury his, and in the end, it also cost him his life. He would never be there to see his boy’s killer brought to book. He would never see justice served.

But this is essentially part of everyday life in this our country that once overcame great odds. Apartheid was defeated, but its many legacies, including the senseless taking of life, are still with us and will still be for generations to come if nothing is done to stop it.

Sam Meyiwa died of a broken heart. It’s been five years since Senzo was killed and the police are still no closer to bring the cowards to book or telling us what actually happened on that fateful October day.

But how many other parents go through the same struggles, especially in Cape Town, where up to 50 murders on a single weekend is treated as the norm.

How parents on the Cape Flats let their children go off to football practice, not knowing if they will ever see them again. It’s unacceptable. We can’t live like this.

Senzo and Bra Sam deserve justice. Parents who have lost their kids on the Cape Flats, too.

Senzo Meyiwa gave everything for his country. It’s time that his compatriots do the same.