Chairman urges players to have wills

Premier Soccer League chairperson, Dr Irvin ‘Iron Duke’ Khoza has urged football players in the Premier Division to ensure they all have standing wills.

He was speaking in an interview at the league’s offices in Parktown following the conclusion of the protracted pension fund payout for the late Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates ace goalie, Senzo Meyiwa, who was shot dead at his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo’s mother’s house in Vosloorus on 26 October 2014.

Khoza said the process was protracted as it was complicated by the fact that Senzo didn’t have a will and the dissolution of an estate becomes cumbersome when the person does not have a standing one.

“These are hard lessons that we’re all learning. I call upon our current players to consider making out their wills so that in any eventuality, the process can be made easy and expedited by the production of a will on demand,” Khoza said.

Khoza said had Senzo had a will, the pension payout process would have been much quicker and less painstaking for the league, as his former employers, and for his family having to wait much longer than they expected for the matter to be finalised.

“Death is just like an accident and no one can ever tell when they are going to die and how, and, hence, I urge all footballers to make it a point that they prepare their wills in good time for any eventuality,” he continued.

“There is nothing as frustrating for your loved ones, who were dependent on you, as waiting years on end for the pension payout simply because someone never had a will. Please prepare these documents and have them ready all the time.”

Khoza said Pirates had decided not to deduct any of the expenses they incurred for the funeral of Senzo, which amounted to R600 000. “We decided as a club that we were going to make those expenses our own contributions to the farewell of a good friend, a son, a brother and a colleague,” Khoza added.