South African defender Motjeka Madisha killed in horrific car accident
Motjeka Madisha. File
Gulf Today Report
The tragic death of the Mamelodi Sundowns’ Motjeka Madisha in a car accident in Johannesburg in the wee hours on Sunday has plunged the football community into mourning once again.
He is the second Sundowns defender to die in similar circumstances within two months after his former teammate Anele Ngcongca died near the eastern city of Durban.
South African Football Players Union, fellow clubs and current professionals have expressed their condolences.
“RIP Motjeka Madisha, we are heart broken. The Masandawana defender passed away in a car accident in Johannesburg, in the early hours of this morning.
Our condolences to his family, friends and football fraternity,” South African Football Players Union tweeted on their website.
The 25-year-old South Africa’s defender was one of two occupants of a car that went out of control, hit an advertising board and burst into flames in eastern Johannesburg, according to the official, who requested anonymity.
"I spoke to someone who arrived at the crash scene soon after the accident and he described a horrific scene with one body burnt beyond recognition," he said.
"Motjeka apparently managed to crawl out of the burning vehicle, but was declared dead by medical personnel at the scene of the accident." Madisha was capped 13 times by South Africa on the back of becoming an established first choice centre-back in a Sundowns team that has been among the strongest in Africa during the past five years.
Known as 'The Brazilians', they won the 2016 CAF Champions League and have been semi-finalists once and quarter-finalists twice since.
Sundowns won the Premiership-FA Cup-League Cup treble in South Africa last season and are top of the table after six rounds of the new league campaign.
