Posted in News, Team News on Jan 31, 2019.
Press Release
31 January 2019
Kaizer Chiefs Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, expressed his deep empathy in a message of support and encouragement to Wiseman Meyiwa – one of the youngest players ever to represent Amakhosi at senior level – whose career has sadly been cut short as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident late last year.
“We are very disheartened that Wiseman’s promising career had to come to an end so abruptly when he still had so much to offer,” says Motaung. “This is the first time that we’ve ever had to deal with this situation in as far as players go, but we are doing our best to ensure that we give Wiseman all the support and care he needs. We are shattered because he is very young, everyone had high hopes of him and his family expected a lot from his football career. Yet, in the same breath we are grateful that his life has been spared.”
Meyiwa‘s motor vehicle accident occurred on 3 November 2018 on the N3 highway near Villiers in the Free State. He was on his way to Pietermaritzburg to visit his family.
According to Kaizer Chiefs team doctor, Hashendra Ramjee, the 19-year-old sustained various injuries including an unstable fracture of his thoracic vertebrae with spinal cord injury. “The thoracic vertebrae fracture was surgically repaired and he was transferred to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital for further management. Wiseman has a permanent disability with a T6 paraplegia,” he explains.
Since the accident, the club has continued to give him all the necessary support. “His treatment is currently being optimised to allow him to manage his disability,” Dr Ramjee adds.
The talented midfielder left his home in KZN at the age of 14 to join the Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development Academy in 2014. He was promoted to the senior squad at the start of the 2017/18 season and capped his debut against Cape Town City on 13 September 2017 with one of the goals in a 2-0 win. He played 21 games for Amakhosi.
On the international stage he represented South Africa at both the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup tournaments in 2015 (Chile) and 2017 (South Korea) respectively.
Football Manager, Bobby Motaung echoed the Chairman’s sentiments, saying, “The club will endeavour to give Wiseman and his family all the support he needs, including trauma counselling – emotional and psychological. We will also assist with educational support to ensure he is self-sufficient in the future. We will also put proper support systems in place to make sure his home-based care is as comfortable as possible.”
“We are also working closely with his teammates to ensure that they are able to deal with the shock,” added Bobby Motaung.
The club would like to thank everyone for all the prayers and messages of support after the accident, with a special word of gratitude going to all the nurses and doctors who have been providing excellent care for Wiseman.
The assessment is ongoing as this will be a long road to recovery, and the club will do its utmost to make sure he is looked after for the foreseeable future.
We wish him and his family strength as they come to terms with this new reality.
-ends-
Enquiries
Corporate Communications Manager
Alpheus Vina Maphosa
Email: vina@kaizerchiefs.com
Follow Kaizer Chiefs on twitter: @KaizerChiefs; Facebook: /Kaizer Chiefs; Instagram: kcfcofficial; www.kaizerchiefs.com; YouTube: KaizerChiefsFC
31 January 2019
Kaizer Chiefs Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, expressed his deep empathy in a message of support and encouragement to Wiseman Meyiwa – one of the youngest players ever to represent Amakhosi at senior level – whose career has sadly been cut short as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident late last year.
“We are very disheartened that Wiseman’s promising career had to come to an end so abruptly when he still had so much to offer,” says Motaung. “This is the first time that we’ve ever had to deal with this situation in as far as players go, but we are doing our best to ensure that we give Wiseman all the support and care he needs. We are shattered because he is very young, everyone had high hopes of him and his family expected a lot from his football career. Yet, in the same breath we are grateful that his life has been spared.”
Meyiwa‘s motor vehicle accident occurred on 3 November 2018 on the N3 highway near Villiers in the Free State. He was on his way to Pietermaritzburg to visit his family.
According to Kaizer Chiefs team doctor, Hashendra Ramjee, the 19-year-old sustained various injuries including an unstable fracture of his thoracic vertebrae with spinal cord injury. “The thoracic vertebrae fracture was surgically repaired and he was transferred to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital for further management. Wiseman has a permanent disability with a T6 paraplegia,” he explains.
Since the accident, the club has continued to give him all the necessary support. “His treatment is currently being optimised to allow him to manage his disability,” Dr Ramjee adds.
The talented midfielder left his home in KZN at the age of 14 to join the Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development Academy in 2014. He was promoted to the senior squad at the start of the 2017/18 season and capped his debut against Cape Town City on 13 September 2017 with one of the goals in a 2-0 win. He played 21 games for Amakhosi.
On the international stage he represented South Africa at both the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup tournaments in 2015 (Chile) and 2017 (South Korea) respectively.
Football Manager, Bobby Motaung echoed the Chairman’s sentiments, saying, “The club will endeavour to give Wiseman and his family all the support he needs, including trauma counselling – emotional and psychological. We will also assist with educational support to ensure he is self-sufficient in the future. We will also put proper support systems in place to make sure his home-based care is as comfortable as possible.”
“We are also working closely with his teammates to ensure that they are able to deal with the shock,” added Bobby Motaung.
The club would like to thank everyone for all the prayers and messages of support after the accident, with a special word of gratitude going to all the nurses and doctors who have been providing excellent care for Wiseman.
The assessment is ongoing as this will be a long road to recovery, and the club will do its utmost to make sure he is looked after for the foreseeable future.
We wish him and his family strength as they come to terms with this new reality.
-ends-
Enquiries
Corporate Communications Manager
Alpheus Vina Maphosa
Email: vina@kaizerchiefs.com
Follow Kaizer Chiefs on twitter: @KaizerChiefs; Facebook: /Kaizer Chiefs; Instagram: kcfcofficial; www.kaizerchiefs.com; YouTube: KaizerChiefsFC
