Death threats after Ngwenya challenge revive fears over dangers facing Zimbabwean footballers in South Africa
Zimbabwe international Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya has reportedly received death threats after a challenge that injured Orlando Pirates midfielder Sihle Nduli during AmaZulu’s 1-1 draw with the Buccaneers in the South African Betway Premiership at Kings Park on Wednesday night.
A source close to Ngwenya, who is a former FC Platinum striker, said the 23-year-old forward had been subjected to threatening and abusive messages on social media after the incident, even though there was no suggestion that he intended to injure Nduli.
“Ngwenya has been receiving death threats on social media after the incident. But he had no intentions against Nduli,” said the source.
The abuse followed a late challenge shortly after the restart. Ngwenya caught Nduli on the ankle and was shown a yellow card, while the Pirates midfielder received treatment before being replaced only 10 minutes into the second half.
The injury was particularly painful for Nduli because he was making his first start of the new season after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury suffered in November last year. His return had been closely watched, but it ended prematurely after the collision.
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane acknowledged that his striker could have handled the situation better and expressed concern for Nduli’s condition.
“Nduli, man, I don’t like seeing a player coming back from a long-term injury only to get injured again,” said Zwane.
“He is such a talent, and it is unfortunate to see him injured again. Our player could have done much better in that situation. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Zwane has also delivered a scathing assessment of striker Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya, branding him a “lazy thinker” despite his goal securing a 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates at Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday night.
Speaking to the media after the final whistle, Zwane was clinical in his breakdown of why he was dissatisfied with the striker’s performance.
“Firstly, we regained possession, and as an offensive player you need to pass and make a forward movement. He makes a four-metre pass and then stops, so what must Athini [Maqokolo] do with the ball?” Zwane said, as quoted on FARPost.
The AmaZulu boss continued his critique by emphasizing the mindset required to compete at the highest level in South African football.
“When you are an offensive player, you think about going forward; you pass and go because, as a striker, you want to see goals, but now if you become lazy, I have a problem with you.”
The challenge and its consequences overshadowed another important contribution from Ngwenya. He converted AmaZulu’s penalty in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Tshepang Moremi’s seventh-minute opener and help his side secure a point.
A foul in a football match can provoke strong reactions, particularly when a player is returning from a serious injury. But the threats directed at Ngwenya have pushed the matter beyond football. Social media abuse can quickly become personal, frightening and dangerous, especially when messages call for violence against a player and are repeated by large numbers of users.
The reaction also comes against the background of several disturbing incidents involving Zimbabwean footballers in South Africa. In recent years, players and former players have been robbed, hijacked, kidnapped and, in one case, killed. The incidents have affected established international stars as well as footballers who remained in South Africa after their playing careers had changed direction.
One of the most tragic cases was that of former Zimbabwe defender Charles Yohane, who was killed in an apparent carjacking in February 2022. Yohane was 48 and had spent much of his professional career in South Africa, where he became a respected figure at Bidvest Wits.
Yohane was reportedly working part-time as a driver for the Bolt transport service after the collapse of Bidvest Wits, where he had been a development coach. He was ambushed during a trip in Soweto, and his body was later found in the Mzimhlophe area. Reports said he had been shot in the head after his vehicle was taken.
His death shocked football followers in both countries. Yohane had been part of the Zimbabwe squad that made its Africa Cup of Nations debut in Tunisia in 2004. He also appeared at the 2006 finals before retiring from international football the following year. At club level, he made 268 appearances for Bidvest Wits between 1997 and 2006, a record for the South African club.
The former CAPS United left-back had built a life in South Africa over a period of about 25 years. He continued working in football after his playing career ended, but the loss of his coaching position after Wits sold its franchise left him looking for other work. His murder showed the risks faced by former players who remain in the country and must find new ways to earn a living after football.
Zimbabwean star Khama Billiat also experienced a terrifying armed robbery in Johannesburg. In February 2017, the then Mamelodi Sundowns player was inside the convenience store at an Engen garage in Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, when six gunmen entered carrying AK-47 rifles.
The robbers pointed their weapons at Billiat and three other shoppers. They took his wallet and wristwatch before forcing everyone to lie on the floor. The gang also bombed the ATM inside the store while the footballer and the other customers remained trapped in the premises.
Billiat had gone to the garage to replenish his prepaid electricity card. At the time, he was one of Sundowns’ leading players and had been recognised as the Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Year. The robbery underlined how quickly an ordinary stop at a petrol station could turn into a life-threatening ordeal, even for a high-profile footballer.
Billiat was later reported to have been robbed again at gunpoint in South Africa in February 2020, when he was playing for Kaizer Chiefs. Valuables, including cash, telephones and jewellery, were reportedly taken during the incident at a Johannesburg shopping centre. The earlier 2017 robbery was more extensively described, but the second report added to the record of attacks that had followed the Zimbabwe international during his long career in South Africa.
Another case involved former Zimbabwe international striker Evans Rusike. In December 2023, Rusike was hijacked and kidnapped near the entrance to the residential complex where he lived in Midrand, Gauteng. Police said four or five suspects arrived in a white vehicle, rushed towards his car and forced him into the boot before driving away.
Rusike was later dumped in a nearby bush. His vehicle was taken, and the attackers threatened to kill him if he did not comply. Police confirmed that a case of kidnapping and hijacking had been opened at Midrand police station. The vehicle used by the suspects was also linked to another case in Johannesburg.
Rusike later described the incident as life-threatening and said it left him traumatised. “I went through a difficult time; it is still tough to talk about it because I have yet to get over it,” he said.
“I had to make a tough decision and returning home was the best . . . I needed to be close to my family as well.”
The attack influenced Rusike’s decision to leave South Africa and return to Zimbabwe. He had been considering offers from clubs in the country’s top two divisions after leaving Moroka Swallows, but the experience made him feel that he needed to be closer to his family. He later joined Yadah Stars, where he played alongside Billiat after the two former Warriors teammates returned to Zimbabwe.
The most recent case involving a Zimbabwean footballer came in Johannesburg when Mamelodi Sundowns and Warriors defender Divine Lunga survived a shooting incident in Hillbrow. Lunga was driving through the inner-city suburb with his younger brother on their way to church when an unidentified man opened fire on the vehicle.
Police opened an attempted-murder investigation. Both men escaped unharmed, although a bullet struck Lunga’s blue BMW. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remained under investigation, and there was no confirmed indication that Lunga had been robbed. The incident nevertheless demonstrated the danger posed by gun violence on Johannesburg’s roads.
Reports said the incident began after a stranger flagged down Lunga and claimed that he had been robbed of about $2,100. The man believed Lunga and his companions were undercover traffic officers and persuaded them to pursue a vehicle he identified as belonging to the alleged robbers. Someone inside that vehicle then opened fire as the chase unfolded.
Lunga returned to training the following day. He had joined Sundowns in 2021 after playing for Golden Arrows and had helped the club win domestic honours and a second African Champions League title. He is also a regular member of the Zimbabwe national team.
The experiences of Yohane, Billiat, Rusike and Lunga provide a sobering backdrop to the threats now directed at Ngwenya. They are not identical cases: Yohane was killed, Billiat was robbed at gunpoint, Rusike was kidnapped and robbed by armed criminals, while Lunga survived a shooting that police investigated as attempted murder. What links them is the sudden exposure of footballers to violence away from the pitch.
Ngwenya’s case began with a disputed football challenge, but the response should not be allowed to become another form of violence. Players can be disciplined by match officials and football authorities when they break the rules. Threats of death, however, are not part of the game.
For now, Ngwenya’s penalty remains one of the decisive moments of AmaZulu’s draw with Pirates. The late challenge will continue to be debated by supporters, but the messages sent to the young forward have created a more serious concern. A player should be able to leave the field after a difficult match without fearing that a football incident will place his life in danger.