Two young soccer players killed in horrific crash

Another return journey from a soccer match ended in tragedy after the vehicle that Tshikhodobo Barcelona’s young players were travelling in overturned. This accident is the second this year where soccer players have died on their way home from a match.

According to reports received, Tshikhodobo Barcelona were returning home from a soccer tournament, organised by local teams and staged at the Ravele grounds in Kutama, on Saturday. The overloaded Ford Ranger they were travelling in overturned along the Tshikwarani public road at around 18:30.

The driver of the bakkie allegedly lost control over the vehicle in which the team’s players, officials and supporters were travelling. One of the players, 11-year-old Takalani Govhola, died at the scene, while another player, 12-year-old Sontie Motau, succumbed to his injuries upon arrival at the hospital.

Some 27 more passengers – all travelling in the same vehicle - were injured in the accident and had to be taken to the Louis Trichardt Memorial and Elim Hospital for treatment. At the time of our going to press, most of the victims had been discharged with minor injuries. Eleven of the victims were still in hospital, of which three were in critical condition.

One of the victims, Mr Mushoni Matiya, told the media that they had only heard a big bang, and then the bakkie had started to roll. “We all shouted, but the vehicle overturned,” he said. The bakkie rolled several times, according to Matiya, before eventually coming to a stand-still.

“From there I don’t know what happened. When I woke up, I was in the hospital,” he said. Matiya suffered minor injuries to his head and a fractured right arm. “This is the most horrible experience of my life,” he said. “I cannot sleep, and I’ve been suffering from shock and depression. But I strongly believe that we were saved by the grace of God.”

The father of one of the deceased boys, Mr Simon Govhola, said that the family were coping with the loss, even though this was a very difficult time for them. “It will be really hard for us to live without our son,” he said. He thanked the community for all their support.

The secretary of the Makhado Local Football Association (LFA), Mr Freddy Phathela, said that learning about the accident had been sad for them. He thanked the parents of the players for understanding that the accident had been caused by circumstances beyond the driver's control. He wished the victims a speedy recovery and sent messages of condolences to the bereaved families.

Thovhele Vele Kutama also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said the boys would be sorely missed. He added that the community members around the area were deeply touched by the horror of the accident, especially as the victims were still so young. “The family members of the victims need our support now. We hope accidents of this nature never occur again on our roads,” he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that a case of culpable homicide had been opened, following the incident. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

Date:18 March 2021

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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