Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan and national soccer coach Shakes Mashaba visited the family of slain footballer Senzo Meyiwa in Umlazi, Durban on Tuesday.

After visiting for about an hour, Mbalula said he had told the family: "You are not alone in this time in bereavement. The rest of the Republic of South Africa and the globe and players in general have also expressed a feeling of loss. We all agree South Africa is poorer today with the untimely departure of Senzo Meyiwa."

He was confident that Meyiwa's killers would be brought to book.

"Things were never easy for Senzo. He never got anything on a silver platter."

Meyiwa, he said, had been an inspiration for young people in the country's townships.

"Let our spirits not be dampened by a clique of a few criminals who are heartless, who don't have a vision of life and what they have done to humanity by taking away Senzo's life."

Mashaba said the country had lost not only a soccer player, but also a leader.

Meyiwa's replacement would have a difficult task as Meyiwa had not yet reached his peak.

"This is a national crisis. We got calls from abroad. The last thing that pains me is that this happened to Senzo when he was going high."

He urged people to give the law enforcement agencies time to investigate and not to speculate over the crime.

Jordaan said Senzo's death was a shock to the football world. He said Safa would hand the family letters of condolence from several football federations across the world.

Reporters, photographers, and numerous television crews were outside the house for the second day.

A tarpaulin had been erected over the small front yard and another over the small back yard.

Other dignitaries to arrive included soccer players Itumeleng Khune and Lucky Lekgwathi.