No story is more tragic, beautiful and symbolic of South African society than the life and death of Lesley "Slow Poison" Manyathela. The tragedy of this story is that it ended so abruptly, a life taken prematurely. At the age of 21 years, Manyathela died in a car accident. At 21, Slow Poison was gearing up to be one of the greatest striking forces this country has ever seen. The tragedy lies here, taken too soon….
The beauty lies in the fact that we even had the privilege to experience him at all. No other player has ascended to glory through the hearts and minds of South Africans quicker than Manyathela.
It seemed that South Africa had a savior, to redeem us from our endemic goal scoring problems. Slow Poison thundered home close to 50 goals in 73 appearances for the Sea Robbers. He also made nine appearances for Bafana Bafana and scored in almost every second international he played. From the depths of rural Musina, no fortune teller could have forecasted that South Africa's brightest star would emerge. That is where the story is symbolic of South Africa, out of the unexpected, came a legend.
So, we honor him in our humble efforts, by recognising his greatness here. His name will forever be immortalized in the memories of those who were fortunate enough to watch him play, and for those who never got the chance, his spirit will live on in this Hall of Fame.
Thank you for voting.
R.I.P. Slow Poison
Thank you for the memories.
