South Africans demand answers in fatal police shooting of Lindani Myeni in Nuuanu

The fatal shooting of 29-year-old Lindani Myeni by Honolulu police officers responding to a burglary complaint has created a diplomatic flashpoint for South Africa and the United States as the ruling government, provincial political parties and human rights activists in Myeni’s homeland demand justice and transparency from local investigators and the White House.

Communities, political parties and the South African government are condemning the killings of Black men by American police and demanding justice for Myeni, the KwaZulu-Natal native who died April 14 after a fight with three police officers responding to a burglary call in Nuuanu.

Protesters demonstrating outside of the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria demanded the Honolulu police officers who shot Myeni be arrested. The few public facts released in the case are constant topics of conversation on South African social media feeds and in media coverage. Myeni’s remains were repatriated to South Africa on Saturday, and he will be laid to rest in his hometown of eSikhawini in KwaZulu-Natal.

“As the Ambassador of South Africa, I am deeply concerned about this shooting especially given the climate of the race relations in the United States. We are closely monitoring the investigations in Hawaii and our Consulate in LA is liaising with the family and local authorities. At this stage we are allowing the police investigation to run its course,” said South Africa Ambassador Nomaindiya Cathleen Mfeketo in a statement posted on the website of the Embassy of South Africa in Washington, D.C. “Furthermore, the State Department here in Washington D.C is dealing with this matter and I will make sure that we keep the family informed at every step. Once again, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the Myeni family and to Lindsey and their young children during this difficult time.”

On April 29, KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala issued a stinging indictment of the Honolulu Police Department’s refusal to return Myeni’s wedding ring, mobile phone, headphones and other personal items.

“Being Black is not a scourge. It is not a crime. But when you consider the conduct of the police in Honolulu, you begin to realize that they’re not taking this incident seriously,” he said in a statement. “As a country with a painful history of race-based violence, an incident such as this one touches a raw nerve in us because our wounds are still very fresh. This injustice cannot, and should not, be left unchallenged. Therefore, as the province of KwaZulu-­Natal, we are calling on South Africans to rise up and make a strong statement against this abomination. We are also calling for intervention from the highest office in the U.S. We know that U.S. President Joe Biden has an illustrious history as a crusader for human rights and justice. We are confident that if he could intervene in this case and start asking questions, we would start to see some progress.”

“The Department of State expresses its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Lindani Myeni, The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria has been in contact with Mr. Myeni’s family and the Government of South Africa. We refer you to the Department of Justice for further information regarding the case,” a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of State told the Star-Advertiser in an emailed statement.

U.S. officials with the Department of Justice, declined to comment on the Myeni case and what support, if any, the U.S. government is providing to the investigation by Honolulu police and city prosecutors. Craig S. Nolan, an assistant U.S. attorney, declined comment on behalf of Judith A. Philips, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Hawaii.

FBI Special Agent Jason White also declined to speak about the case. “We will not confirm or deny any involvement pertaining to that incident,” White told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

“This is a tragic incident, and we are currently following the investigation by local Hawaiian authorities into the details of Mr. Myeni’s tragic death,” Robert Mearkle, a U.S. Department of State spokesman based at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, told South Africa’s News24 on April 19, five days after Myeni’s death.

“People in South Africa are shocked and outraged at the death of Lindani Myeni and are rightfully calling attention to an epidemic of police killings of people of African ancestry in the U.S. and globally,” Ned Bertz, an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who has made academic trips to South Africa and East Africa as part of his studies, told the Star-Advertiser. “His compatriots and family deserve justice and an independent investigation into the incident.”

It would not be uncommon to drop in on neighbors old or new, and neighborhood properties are treated more communally than in the U.S., he said. While aggressive and violent policing of private property is also the norm in urban middle-class areas of South Africa, it typically occurs when outsiders to a neighborhood violate a home and not when a neighbor respectfully takes off one’s shoes upon entry, Bertz said.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who has pushed for a thorough, independent, expedited and transparent investigation of the Myeni shooting, said Honolulu remains a welcoming destination, with historically more than 70% of its annual visitors from international destinations. “Honolulu is an international destination and has always been a safe city for our visitors from around the world,” he said.

“Mr. Myeni’s death is tragic and his personal effects will be returned to the family as soon as it is appropriate to do so,” Krishna F. Jayaram, first deputy corporation counsel, told the Star-Advertiser.

The ruling party of South Africa, the African National Congress, and the Economic Freedom Fighters, a South African far-left political party founded by an expelled ANC Youth League president, Julium Malema, are unified in their call for an independent, expedited investigation.

“The African National Congress condemns in the strongest possible terms the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Lindani Myeni by the police in the United States. Mr Myeni was a South African citizen living in the United States. The ANC calls on the law-enforcement authorities of the United States to thoroughly investigate this tragic incident and ensure that those found responsible for Mr Myeni’s death face the full wrath of the law,” said Pule Mabe, national spokesman for the African National Congress. “The ANC is confident that the South African government will do everything possible within its power to get a full report from the American authorities on the circumstances that led to the death of Mr Myeni in the hands of the police.”

The Economic Freedom Fighters, which held a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, said HPD should face international human rights violations, and labled the U.S. a racist nation.

“The EFF is disgusted by the racist killing of South African rugby player Lindani Myeni. Lindani was shot, unarmed by the racist United States police on a senseless suspicion of robbery,” said an April 17 statement released to the public. “The EFF has been vocal against racism and acts of human rights violations. We are also disgusted at the openly racist manner in which the United States is treating fellow Africans in that country.”