Music producer, singer and songwriter Chicco Twala. Picture: X (Twitter)
In a strange twist of fate, veteran producer Sello “Chico” Twala and Brenda Fassie’s controversial music producer and father to Longwe Twala, accused of being part of the death of former Orlando Pirates star goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa, has opened a case of theft against his two sons Longwe and Sello Twala.
Longwe, who is alleged to be a key suspect in the Senzo Meyiwa trial, is reported to have collaborated to steal his famous father’s expensive studio equipment while Twala was travelling in the US.
It is alleged that the duo broke into their father’s studios while on drugs and stole equipment worth thousands of rand.
Early this year, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, heard that a drunk Longwe Twala allegedly shot and killed Senzo Meyiwa while he was trying to break up a fight.
This was revealed by defence lawyer, advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, as he cross-examined investigator, Sergeant Batho Mogola, at the high court on Monday, April 22.
Meyiwa’s close friends Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala, as well as Longwe Twala, singer Kelly Khumalo, her mother Ntombi Gladness Khumalo, her sister Zandi Khumalo and her two children, Christian and Thingo, were allegedly present on the day of the goal keeper’s shooting.
The celebrated producer, who in the past collaborated with some of the country’s leading musicians, is reported to have opened a case of theft with the Douglasdale police station on Sunday.
"Yes. I can confirm that both my sons were arrested on Sunday. The incident took place while I was away in the US. My other son Longwe was not living with us.
“I came to know because of the in-house security and our house helper also saw Longwe leaving with the boxes, running away,” the award-winning music producer said.
“It appears that he’s been doing it for some time; it’s not something new,” he added.
The music guru revealed that it was not the first time Longwe had stolen from him, as this has been a recurring thing.
Twala said he was mostly taken aback by the young one's behaviour, as he was not taking drugs, adding that he did not understand what got into him.
“Sello lied to me when I asked him about what had transpired. I only got to learn that he was part of the crime when Longwe was arrested.
“Upon realising he was part of the crime, I asked police to arrest both of them.”
He, however, could not say when the duo would appear in court as they were only arrested on Monday.
In a statement he released on Monday, Twala confirmed the incident happened while he was abroad in the US.
“Yes, I can confirm that when I was in the US, my son Longwe and his brother Sello Twala colluded and stole my equipment in the studio.
"I won’t sit and watch a drug addict continuously stealing from me and be silent.
“I saw the likes of the late Hope Zinde, and many parents killed by their own flesh and blood because of this drug addiction.
“Him and his younger brother have been stealing from me for a long time. Hence, I decided that enough was enough … Let them rot in jail,” said Twala.
Reacting to Twala’s incident, the Activists and Citizens Forum said the country needed to flush out drugs from communities.
The forum’s spokesperson Dennis Bloem said the country should not stand by while the future generation of this country was being destroyed.
“It is clear that the police have lost the battle against the drug cartels. It is now in our hands as citizens to stop this crisis. Enough is enough.
“Activists and Citizens Forum call on communities to leave no stone unturned and organise street committees in defence of our future generation,” Bloem added.
The drug problem in the country had reached crisis proportions, he said, adding that something urgent and drastic needed to be done to address the crisis.
This comes after a prominent musician and veteran producer Sello “Chicco” Twala’s son, Longwe Twala,is sai to have stolen his father’s music equipment worth thousands of rand.
Bloem said the struggle and pain that Twala and his family were going through was the struggle and pain that millions of families were going through.
Parents were going through hell because of the drug addiction problem, Bloem said.
“As a parent, I share the pain and struggle of Chicco Twala and the millions of other families who are suffering in silence.
“Children assault their parents to get money from them to buy drugs. In some cases, even grandparents are victims of these drug addicts.”
Longwe is no stranger to controversy. In 2020, he was arrested on charges of theft after he allegedly stole a cellphone.
Last week, the Pretoria High Court hearing the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, was told by advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, the lawyer for accused number one, that a witness will come and testify on behalf of his client (Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya) that Longwe had shot and killed Meyiwa with his father’s gun.
However, the ballistic expert Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Mangena said in his testimony that Twala’s gun tested negative, meaning Twala’s gun did not match the 9mm bullet that was found on the crime scene.
Mngomezulu further said he would call a witness that would testify that Longwe also shot himself in the foot. According to advocate Mngomezulu, Longwe injured himself while involved in a struggle with Meyiwa on that fatal evening.
The Star
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