Alexandra’s football soldier and co-founder of the Sidlal’idiski Sports Academy, Mogomotsi Ramoabi Mabena died on 14 November at the age of 41.
Popularly known as ‘Doctor’ in the country’s football circles for his resemblance to former Kaizer Chiefs stalwart Doctor Khumalo on and off the pitch, Mabena died at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital following a short illness which saw him hospitalised initially at the Edenvale General Hospital.
His only sister, Gina Bryant, still traumatised by the untimely death of her brother, fought back the tears during an interview with Alex News at a memorial service at the East Bank Hall. The service was attended by the community he so selfishly served and his national football colleagues.
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Among those present were Steve Pila of the South African Schools Football Association (Sasfa), Mahlomola Morake of the South African Football Association (Safa), and the life president of the oldest local football association in the country, the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association, Moss Selolo.
Others included his friends and sponsors from The Sports Trust and Adidas, councillor Adolf Marema of Ward 105; former Ward 116 councillor Monde Mbingeleli; the City of Johannesburg’s Region E Sports Department’s, Mandla Mahlangu and the president of the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce, Mpho Motshumi.
Speaker after speaker of the close to 20 listed on the programme, including soccer player Patrick Phungwayo of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana whom he nurtured from the age of seven, described Doctor as “a passionate sportsperson and a fanatic footballer fighter” who ate, drank and slept all things football.
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Whenever there was assistance he needed from Safa and Sasfa, he would simply request help without regard for protocol, as was the case with the sponsors when he needed kits for the many football teams and children he cared for in Alexandra and beyond. The same went for The Sports Trust, whose project manager Obakeng Oganne described him as “a loved pain” for his nagging and persistent nature when in need.
Another thing he would be remembered for was for being the country’s ambassador to foreign visiting teams, especially during the Fifa 2009 Confederation Cup and the subsequent Fifa 2010 South Africa World Cup as the team liaison officer. Doctor used to brag about having driven Argentina’s Diego Maradona from Pretoria to the OR Tambo International Airport, in just 15 minutes, to catch a flight for which he was late for.
So impressed was Maradona that when he returned to the country for the World Cup, he demanded to be driven by the man who had looked after him and drove him to the airport in record time. That was just how helpful Doctor was.
He was also a generous man and through his company that he co-founded, DND Sports, he sponsored various Alex soccer teams and young players with soccer kits under the One Child One Soccer Boot initiative. Rest in peace football soldier, for the war has been won.
