A dream to become a professional footballer might have been destroyed for Sboniso Hadebe, who was badly injured while playing a game in the third tier league of Mzansi football. He has been playing as a goalkeeper for Kakamas Juventus in the ABC Motsepe League when he got injured and was required to undergo surgery to help healing. After three months in hospital, the injury hasn't yet healed while the doctors have predicted that he might be required to be still under medical care for another two months. How has the injury affected the player and at home where he lives with his 63-year-old grandmother? With the help of former South African Football Players Union secretary general Calvin 'Salter' Motloung, Hadebe is hoping to get back to his feet and be able to continue with is career in line with his dream of playing in the professional ranks.
What The Siya Crew Has Been Told…
In February 2023, as Sboniso Hadebe and his teammates from Kakamas Juventus were preparing for their next game in the league, the 28-year-old goalkeeper got injured while playing a friendly game against Motsepe Foundation Championship side Hungry Lions. Since then, the player has been in and out of hospital and fighting for his life, as narrated by Calvin Moltoung, who, in his role as the Footballers Union of South Africa president, has played a big role to assist Hadebe. "The player's name is Sboniso Hadebe and he is from Mpumalanga. He is a player for Kakamas Juventus and on the day he got injured in February, they were playing a friendly game with Hungry Lions from the Motsepe Foundation Championship," explained Motloung. "He is a goalkeeper and on the day he got injured, he collided with a striker and was badly hurt. He got injured in the chest and in the stomach. After being given medical care on the field, he was later taken to the clinic but couldn't get the help he needed on time because he was told that it was full at the clinic. He returned to the clubhouse, but after two or three days, his situation worsened. When he finally went to the hospital, they couldn't find what the problem was at first and he was discharged without getting the help he needed. But his situation worsened until it was finally decided that he needed to undergo an operation to get better. The whole stomach was opened right up to the chest and that's how big the operation is," he said. "This is a boy who lives with his grandmother in Mpumalanga. Nobody from the club that they were playing against on the day he got injured has bothered to call and check up on him and how he is doing. The boy's grandmother is the one making sure that he calls him daily to check up on him and if he is improving," added Motloung. "Because I am all about the footballers and their wellbeing, someone called me to alert me to the sad story of this player. I did speak to the club chairman, but he said it must be something from elsewhere because on the field that day it was just a minor injury that the boy picked. It was like I was talking to someone who had no idea of how big the operation is that has been done on the player. The player's family has authorized me to speak on his behalf and that has been communicated with the hospital authorities. The boy is in hospital with an open stomach from the operation for such a long time. I have heard that his lungs have since been affected too," he said. "After two months in a hospital in Upington, it was decided that they couldn't deal with the situation any longer and that he needed to see a specialist. I did go to Upington when the boy was in hospital there, but unfortunately, they couldn't allow me to see him. That's when it was decided that he would need to go to Cape Town for a specialist at Groote Schuur Hospital. His flight was booked for 21 April and that's how he ended up in Cape Town. He has been informed that he will be living like that for another two months with an open stomach as advised by the doctors. Imagine such an experience for someone who got injured while doing what he loves and is passionate about. It is very sad," he added. "Something has to be done to assist this player. He is going to incur the costs of the operation and hospital stay. It means that the grandmother will have to pay for it out of her pension money from the government. There was somebody who claimed to be the player's agent when he was playing and showing a lot of promise, but because he is now injured, the said agent has disappeared. Nobody can get him even over the phone. These things need to be dealt with and that's why I feel the need to talk about this boy's experience as a lesson. By talking publicly about this boy's situation, I am hoping that he will get the assistance he needs from whoever that can help. I'm not sure if he will ever be able to play football again. Maybe we can touch the hearts of some good people out there… we don't know. I spoke to someone from Hungry Lions FC to check if they were aware of the boy's situation and they said they were not aware. They did confirm having played a friendly game against Juventus but were not aware of what transpired afterwards," concluded Motloung.
What Are The Facts?
The Siya crew spoke to Hadebe, who confirmed what happened on the day of the unfortunate incident. "I have been playing for Kakamas Juventus as a goalkeeper. On the day I got injured in February, we went away to play a friendly game against Hungry Lions FC. At the time, we were in position one on the log and we needed tougher opponents to work on certain aspects of our game and all of that. We played the game in three 30-minute segments, and I played and finished the first 30 minutes and the other guy who was the second-choice goalkeeper at the time played the second 30 minutes. I was playing the third 30 minutes when I picked up the injury," said Hadebe. "I remember coming out to collect the ball when I collided with one of their strikers. It didn't look like a dangerous ball, and it was within reach for me to catch, but the next thing I found myself lying on the ground and motionless. I was hit by his knee on the chest and he fell over me. That guy is big and tall and I felt the impact when he fell on me. For a few seconds, I stopped breathing and it was a painful experience. The medical team from Hungry Lions was very helpful," he said. "We returned to Kakamas and the team doctor helped me and after a week, I wasn't feeling the pain. After training for three days on our return, I start experiencing pain in the shoulder and in the stomach. As days went by, the pain became worse and I went to the doctor for some treatment, but the pain wouldn't leave me alone. I went to the hospital in Kakamas and I was admitted. That is where I did the operation and I had blood clots removed from inside my stomach. From there, I went to the hospital in Upington and at that time, I was already experiencing pain in the chest too. A lot of damage was discovered from inside my stomach. I couldn't believe what I saw when those things were being removed from inside me. I then had to travel to Cape Town for a specialist and my body was so painful," concluded Hadebe.
The Story Behind The Scenes
Grandmother Hugely Concerned…
"Sboniso is my grandson and I was hugely affected by his injury. He is 28 years old because he was born in 1995. He loves football and he is passionate about it. I can only keep on praying to the Lord to be always with us. With my pension money from (Cyril) Ramaphosa, I have managed to assist him where possible, although it cannot be enough. I am 63 years old. I have supported him financially throughout his football career because the money he made out of football wasn't that much," she said. "I miss seeing him around at home and I call him daily to check up on him. He is struggling, I can tell, although he tells me that he is fine. I understand where he comes from, because he doesn't want me to worry while thinking about him and his situation, but I can feel that he is really struggling from all the pain. I pray a lot to God to take away the pain from my grandson. I have cried a lot about my grandson and I'm sure God will help him. Everyone I speak to keeps on advising me not to forget to pray. I am just disappointed that ever since Sboniso was admitted to the hospital, I have never heard from the club he got injured while playing for. But it's fine, people know what they are doing," she concluded.
Where To For Hadebe?
"I still do want to play football again. But the doctors have told me that my stomach will only be closed in July. This is a serious injury and they don't want to rush it and they want to make sure that it is done properly. As much as I still want to play football again, I don't think I will be the same goalkeeper as I was before because I am going to fear getting into challenges. I did get some money from football, which I used to assist at home even if it wasn't much. The most disappointing thing about all of this is that I have never heard from Hungry Lions since I got injured. I'm not sure if they know I got badly injured, but one of my teammates is their former player and I would imagine he told them," said Hadebe.
Secret Agent
The Siya crew spoke to a top agent in SA to get their expert understanding on what's going on. For obvious reasons, the agent will remain anonymous.
"It is unfortunate that the player finds himself in such a difficult situation and my advice to him would be to focus on healing for now and forget about playing football. The life of a person is more important than the game and that's why he should think only about healing for the time being. I hope that he gets the help he requires to become the person that he was before getting injured. With God, everything is possible, and we can only pray and hope for Sboniso to get better. I wish him a speedy recovery and until then, there isn't much that one can really say or do."
Watch This Space
Miracles do happen in football and in life, and one cannot blame Hadebe for believing that he can still play football again even after the terrible injury he suffered. The doctors have not ruled out the possibility of him returning to the field to do what he loves the most and that brings so much hope to the player, who has big dreams about his career. So far, things have gone according to plan in hospital and the doctors have given hope about the situation being under control. One can only wish that the player will get the help that he requires from anyone who can assist financially in the coming days for him and his family to only think about his healing process without having to worry about costs incurred during his hospital stay.
