Senzo Meyiwa: Remembering a 'humble man' and 'hero'

He was South Africa's star goalkeeper who just last month became the country's captain, aged 27.

It seemed almost certain Senzo Meyiwa was heading for sporting greatness, but on Sunday he was killed.

The footballer was reportedly shot by armed burglars who had broken into his girlfriend's home.

South Africa's minister of sport says the country has been "robbed of an icon and a legend in the making".

Former England striker Gary Lineker has expressed his shock on Twitter, calling it "sad news".

South African footballer Dean Furman, who plays for Doncaster Rovers, has been paying tribute.

Meyiwa's death also brings South Africa's gun laws back into the spotlight.

It is just days since Oscar Pistorius was jailed for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after apparently mistaking her for an intruder.

'A humble man who became a hero'

Meyiwa swapped shirts with Wayne Rooney when Manchester United played the Orlando Pirates in a pre-season friendly in 2008.

Meyiwa was named South Africa's captain just a month ago.

On Saturday his team, the Orlando Pirates, beat Ajax Cape Town 4-1 in the semi-finals of the South African League Cup.

That became the last game he would play. Not long after he tweeted this:

Off the pitch, Meyiwa was married to his estranged wife Mandisa Mkhize and had a young daughter with his girlfriend, South African singer Kelly Khumalo.

Photo hours before death

Hours before Meyiwa's death, Khumalo, 29, shared a photo of them in the car with her sister in the backseat.

The shooting

On Sunday evening Meyiwa was staying at his girlfriend's house in Vosloorus, near Johannesburg.

At around 8pm two gunmen reportedly broke into the building, while a third waited outside.

South Africa's police service said the two men demanded mobile phones, money and other valuables.

Meyiwa was shot in the chest and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The suspects fled.

As angry crowds gathered at Meyiwa's house and the hospital, police called for calm promising they would do all they could to "bring Meyiwa's killers to book".

They have offered a reward of around $14,000 for information which leads to arrests.

'Beyond devastated'

As South Africa woke up to the news that Meyiwa had been killed, President Jacob Zuma said he was mourning the loss of a young footballer who had been "taken away at the prime of his career".

In a statement he said: "Words cannot express the nation's shock at this loss."

Many of Meyiwa's friends, fans and fellow footballers have paid tribute on Twitter.

Goalkeeper for Kaiser Chiefs Itumeleng Isaac Khune paid tribute to Meyiwa.

#SenzoMeyiwa trended top on Twitter around the world, including in the United Kingdom.

Meyiwa's agent described the 27-year-old as a humble man from a tough background who became a "hero in everyone's eyes".

This weekend's derby between Meyiwa's club Orlando Pirates and their rivals Kaizer Chiefs has been postponed.

Players from Kaizer Chiefs gathered at the hospital on Sunday night after hearing about the shooting.

Orlando Pirates Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said the fact Meyiwa's rivals turned up demonstrated "the magnitude of what happened".

'When does it stop South Africa?'

Meyiwa's death comes a week after Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius was jailed for five years for culpable homicide after shooting dead his girlfriend in 2013.

Pistorius has always claimed he shot Reeva Steenkamp by mistake because he thought there was a burglar in his apartment.

Reserve goalkeeper Darren Keet said he'd had enough of "moving on" from case to case and wants proper change in South Africa.

‏Police figures show that more than 17,000 people were murdered in South Africa between April 2013 and March 2014, an increase of 5% compared to the previous year.

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