‘The loss to SA football is immeasurable’ – Tributes pour in for Anele Ngcongca

The South African football community and beyond was plunged into mourning on Monday morning, with the news that former Bafana Bafana right back Anele Ngcongca had passed away in a car accident.

READ MORE: Former Bafana defender Ngcongca passes away

Ngcongca, 33, was reported dead at the scene of an accident on the N2 in KwaZulu-Natal near Mtunzini. He had recently signed for DStv Premiership outfit AmaZulu, bringing to an end a four-season spell at Mamelodi Sundowns, with whom he won three league titles in a row between 2017 and 2020.

The former Bafana full back had over 50 caps for his country, and returned to South Africa on the back of an excellent club career in Europe, mainly for Belgian top flight side KRC Genk. Ngcongca made such an impact at Genk that he was named in their Team of the Century alongside the likes of Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne.

Genk were one of the first to pay tribute to Ngcongca.

“We hear the tragic news about … Anele Ngcongca. He died in a car accident. In total, Anele played no fewer than 279 games for KRC Genk. Our thoughts are with family and friends of our South African ex-player,” said the Belgian side on Twitter. 

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