Many of our local footballers have tragically lost their lives to car accidents, while a few have been lucky enough to escape from them alive. But did you know that cars are often named after footballers in these cases?
Over the years, we have seen the likes of Siyabonga Sangweni, Willard Katsande and Knowledge Musona survive car accidents, while, most recently, we mourned the sad passing of Richard Henyekane.
It has become a trend in townships to name the make and/or model of a car after a footballer who was involved in an accident, and today we look at various cars who have received such status.
BMW 3 Series – Gift Leremi
This stylish vehicle travelled just as beautifully on the road as Leremi's footwork did on the field, but it was sadly dubbed "Leremi" after the trickster was killed in it. According to reports, Leremi was not wearing a seatbelt when his car rolled several times before coming to a halt near Brackenhurst. The Mamelodi Sundowns man's body was flung from the vehicle.
Volkswagen Golf 4 – Lesley Manyathela
The former Orlando Pirates forward was tragically killed in Limpopo while driving in his VW Golf 4 – a car that is largely popular in the townships. It is now said that whenever someone speaks of a Lesley Manyathela, they know it is in fact the car they are talking about. It's been reported the airbags didn't go off in the car, due to Manyathela not wearing his seatbelt. Henyekane is also believed to have passed away in a Golf.
Audi A3 – Jabu Mahlangu
This vehicle became famous after Jabu Mahlangu was involved in an accident with it, but he was lucky enough to escape alive. The reason for Pule coming out on the fortunate end of this incident was believed to be due to him wearing a seatbelt.
What other cars can you think of?
