It’s exactly 04h37 Saturday, 11 March, and my efforts to summon back my sleep fail dismally. My mind wanders and harks back to a picture I saw on social media a few days ago.
It’s a picture of Khayelihle ‘Khaya’ Shozi, whom I’ve never met or spoken to. The closest I got was watching him in action a few years ago and thinking he would be the reincarnation of the great Teko Modise.
And then, in January 2022, I got to speak to his brother, who was making frantic efforts to find him after he disappeared. He was later found on the streets a few days later. That was the last I spoke to his brother.
Surprisingly, while I’m busy pondering on that picture and his current state, asking myself questions about what may have gone wrong, something comes to mind.
WHEN CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN LEFT MANY FEARING FOR HIS LIFE
It’s a story we all know. The world watched the disturbing live images of the Denmark versus Finland match [UEFA Euro 2020 on 12 June 2021] when we thought for a second that we had lost Christian Eriksen.
This is about Khaya, but I draw many parallels with the Eriksen story. Eriksen, whom I’d loved as a footballer while at Tottenham Hotspur, collapsed in that encounter.
It was undoubtedly a moment of human frailty. It was a picture of a date with our mortality and fallibility as human beings.
Eriksen stood at the threshold of death. Of course, when all this happened, we all had thoughts about the issue.
A friend asked me, ‘what would have happened if the same incident had happened in Africa, where our healthcare system needs pitch-side medical assistance?”
So much truth in that. The worst could have happened in Africa. But there’s also another picture I drew from that incident. Eriksen collapsed and was unable to defend himself. At that moment, his hands were too powerless to cover him.
DEATH IS UNDIGNIFIED
My Bible describes death as the last enemy. Death is undignified. And Eriksen, celebrated worldwide for his talents, was on the brink of dying in front of millions watching worldwide. Live. That would have been a sad exit.
But guess what? In that moment of fragility, his teammates – his friends and brothers – formed a human curtain around him.
They had to cover his nakedness and preserve his dignity in his weakly moment. Real brothers and real friends do that.
They never allow one of their own to die in front of the eyes of everyone as though it is a spectacle. While they may not be able to stop death in its tracks, they try as much as they can to preserve the dignity of their own.
I saw that many of his teammates had tears in their eyes. To me, it speaks of compassion and love for their mate.
KHAYA SHOZI NEEDS A WALL OF PROTECTION
In tears, they stood around him to provide a wall of protection. I keep asking myself this question – where are the people that celebrated as Khaya rose through the ranks at Mamelodi Sundowns? Where are the people who walked life’s journey to provide that human curtain?
I know someone out there can do something about his situation. Just last week, Tebogo Munyai – the SAFPU vice president – reminded me of a life-changing story I wrote during my days at the infamous The New Age newspaper.
It was about two former footballers – one who was in precisely the same situation as Khaya Shozi. The other had issues with drugs and all manner of things associated with that.
After my story, SAFPU took them to rehab, got them into a coaching course, and their lives were never the same.
Unfortunately, one died a year later, and the other is currently coaching at a school in his community.
Munyai told me how this former footballer’s father has never stopped thanking SAFPU for changing his son’s life.
Someone stepped out to preserve his dignity when the prying eyes of outsiders and haters tried to penetrate, just like in Eriksen’s case.
WE ALL NEED FRIENDS
I guess we all need friends like Eriksen’s. Khaya does too! An army of people who love us because it is inevitable that in life, there shall be battles and wars.
Quite interesting, Eriksen donned the number 10 jersey for his country and was deployed up the pitch to create goalscoring opportunities.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was at the back, trying to thwart the opponents from scoring.
However, when the situation demanded, he ran from the goalposts to provide cover for his teammate upfront.
He became a pillar for his teammate and his family, who needed a shoulder to cry on.
And today, Eriksen is enjoying his career at one of the biggest clubs in the world – Manchester United.
I honestly don’t know what is happening to Khaya Shozi, but those images are heartbreaking. They depict a picture of an African child whose dreams have been cut short because he doesn’t have friends like Eriksen’s. A potential star who has turned destitute.
I pray the brother will get help and possibly return to the football pitch. He’s only 27, for crying out loud. His future isn’t on those streets. It’s on the football pitch.
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