Sanlam Features Sizwe Motaung
Soccer Laduma and Sanlam Sky pay homage to South Africa's great players and coaches who were taken before their time. While they may be gone, their exploits on the field of play will never be forgotten! This week we celebrate the life and career of the late, great Sizwe Motaung... Ugly sores in Sizwe's mouth prevented him from eating The final days of the legendary Sizwe 'Four-by-Four' Motaung must stand as a testament to the chilling realities of the fatal and debilitating HIV virus. A former Bafana Bafana vice-captain, Motaung's rampaging overlaps and uncompromising defensive style spoke volumes about his quality as a right back. He was part and parcel of the back four that swept to the AFCON title in 1996. After starting out with Jomo Cosmos and making his name at Mamelodi Sundowns, he also played in La Liga with Tenerife and St Gallen in Switzerland. After returning from Europe, he also had short spells with Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. However, upon his return, something was clearly wrong and it wouldn't be long before his death. Just months after leaving Bucs, rumours began to circulate he was being ravaged by a mystery illness. Unable to walk in his final days and bedridden in his family home, his once glamorous lifestyle as a local soccer superstar was now long gone. He was surviving on his elderly father's meagre savings. A report from the time spoke of the horrified look in his eyes. Dry cracked lips and an infected tongue spoke of a man approaching the abyss. Sizwe was a frail skeleton under his duvet. He cast a lifeless gaze as he lay motionless in what was to be his deathbed. Ugly sores in his mouth prevented him from eating and lesions in his lungs left him wheezing for breath. Unable to speak coherently or even stand unassisted, the once super-fit attacking fullback was now nothing more than skin and bones. Bankrupt, divorced and virtually destitute, Four-by-Four's life was hanging by a thread. This is what HIV and bad choices off the pitch did to Sizwe... and, in the end, no one comes to save you. Make Sizwe's life and death count for something Indeed, when footballers are at the peak of their powers, their celebrity lifestyles lead to fake friends and hangers-on. The penniless Lovers Mohlala used to hang out with Lebo Mathosa (late Boom Shaka singer), Tshepo Mabona (TV presenter) and Sello 'Chicco' Twala (musician). He'd spend R10 000 in a club and think nothing of it. Today he relies on handouts and part-time work. When Motaung's life started to fall apart, he lost his comfortable house in the posh upmarket Johannesburg suburb of Winchester Hills. In fact, once the fame and fortune was gone, so too were many of his so-called friends. The man who had over 50 caps for Bafana Bafana found himself abandoned by SAFA. In his dying days, only Clive Barker, Steve Komphela, Fani Madida, Helman Mkhalele, Phil Masinga and Vincent Sokhela showed true loyalty and class by phoning regularly to cheer him up. The message of Sizwe Motaung's life is not that we should remember an outstanding right back. It's not that you think of his barnstorming runs and pin-point crosses. It is that you recall and take to heart the suffering, sickness and poverty he endured at the end of his life. It is to teach that repeating the mistakes that Sizwe committed will lead you down a path of wrack and ruin. His life and death should shout the message to all young footballers out there, "HIV and AIDS kills, so practice safe sex! And, if you do make it to the top, invest your money wisely. Choose your friends carefully and never forget how hard it was to get where you are. Count your blessings every day and make your life and football career count for something." Sohlala Sinikhumbula, Sizwe.
