SA football has lost a humble, committed and loyal role model

Anele Calvin Ngcongca, who died last month at the age of 33, is the latest soccer star to be killed in a car accident. The world has been robbed of not only a great player but “a very special person”, as he is described by his former coaches, teammates, supporters and family members.

Tributes flooded social media from SA and abroad, calling Ngongca kind, gentle, humble, level-headed, loyal, thoughtful and committed as a person and a player. He was a supremely skilled defender on the field.

Ngcongca, born on October 21 1987 to parents Welile Ngcongca and Nomahamba Elizabeth Magadlela, at the time of his death was set to join Premier Soccer League (PSL) club AmaZulu FC on a one-season loan. But before Ngconcga could kick a ball in Usuthu’s green and white colours, his life was cut short when he died in a car accident in Umthunzini on the KZN North Coast in the early hours of Monday, November 23.   

Ngcongca, better known by his nickname Jongi at KRC Genk, the Belgian club where he spent nine successful years, was born and raised in Gugulethu, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town.

It was in the rough and dusty streets of Gugulethu where Ngcongca’s football talent was nurtured long before he joined FC Fortune, a development club founded by former Bafana and Manchester United star Quinton Fortune in 1998. Fortune told SAfm on the day of Ngcongca’s death that the roving defender had so much talent he could have chosen to join any professional club in SA in 1999, but his decision to stick around at Fortune opened doors for him to have trials in Europe in 2007.

All his Bafana coaches, including Pitso Mosimane, Gordon Igesund and Shakes Mashaba, have spoken of a committed and influential player who let his feet do most of the talking.

Had it not been for work permit issues and no international caps at that stage, Ngcongca could have been an Arsenal player in the English Premier League after being assessed by their former manager Arsene Wenger, who was impressed with his raw talent. Wenger is reported to have recommended him to Genk in Belgium’s top league.

His stint in Belgium saw Ngcongca rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s finest footballers. He played for Genk for almost a decade. After a one-season loan spell at the French side Troye, he returned home and joined Sundowns in 2016. When he went to Europe in 2007, Ngcongca was an unknown figure in the wider scheme of SA football. He had not featured in any of SA’s junior national teams and had not appeared in the professional ranks with any PSL clubs.

It was only when he made his Bafana debut as a 22-year-old, on November 14 2009 — a 0-0 draw in a friendly against Japan — did Ngcongca’s name begin to register in the minds of local football fans.

Ngcongca quickly made his mark in what was Carlos Alberto Parreira’s Bafana team ahead of SA hosting the 2010 World Cup. He featured in the 2-1 win over France, a victory that was not enough to help SA avoid the horrible tag of being the first host nation to bomb out in the first round of the global showpiece.

Ngcongca earned the last of his 53 Bafana caps on March 26 2016 in a 2-2 away draw against Cameroon in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. All his Bafana coaches, including Pitso Mosimane, Gordon Igesund and Shakes Mashaba, have spoken of a committed and influential player, who let his feet do most of the talking.

In one of his rare media interviews, the shy and unassuming Ngcongca spoke of the gratitude he felt for the support, respect and love shown by Genk towards his career.

The Belgian club honoured Ngcongca’s memory by retiring his number 16 jersey. The same gesture was reciprocated by his Sundowns, his club for the last four seasons, in which they won six trophies, including three league championships in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Sundowns also dedicated their next 16 matches, from the day he died, to Ngonca. Many of his teammates have visited his family in Cape Town to pay their respects.

Ngcongca bagged two Belgian Cups, in 2009 and 2013, with Genk, but it was winning the Belgian championship in the 2011/2010 season that raised his profile. His loyal service to Genk saw him play 279 matches for the club.

Ngcongca’s sister Siyasanga, spokesperson for the family ahead of the funeral scheduled to take place at the Gugulethu Stadium on Saturday, said they had to postpone the burial (it was supposed to be last Thursday) after their mother fell ill. In a Twitter post Siyasanga spoke of the family’s disappointment that the sport, art and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa had not been to visit them.

“Only @MbalulaFikile [ former sport minister and now minister of transport] came to see Anele’s mother who is now ill. We thank you Mr Fix, ungumuntu wabantu [you’re a people’s person],” she wrote.

The department said it was still making plans to visit Ngcongca’s family but postponed this when they heard the news of his mother’s illness. They said the minister would visit as soon as she recovered.

Ngcongca is survived by his mother, sister Siyasanga, brother Raymond and daughter Siphosethu.