It’s been over 15 years since the nation lost one of its brightest football talents, Gift Leremi, but for Lebohang Mokoena, the pain still feels fresh.
He and Leremi were more than teammates. They came up like brothers through Orlando Pirates’ development ranks before stepping onto the big stage side by side. Leremi’s move to Mamelodi Sundowns in 2007 symbolised something new. Instead, it resulted in tragedy on 3 September 2007, when he died in a car crash at just 22 years old.
Speaking on the iDiski Dine Podcast, Mokoena, known as “’Cheesboy’, shared their final moments and how everything changed within hours.
“He called me, feeling excited, saying his life is about to change,” Mokoena said.
“He went on a CAF game with Mamelodi Sundowns, and when he came back, he said things were going to change for him, for his wife and for his kids. He was going to buy a house. He said he was going to buy a car as well.”
MOKOENA REVEALS TRAGIC FINAL CALL WITH GIFT LEREMI BEFORE FATAL CRASH
But what started as a normal day between a husband and wife soon turned into a shattering night.
“He returns home and goes out with his wife. They go out for lunch to catch up as a couple. Later on in the evening, he says he needed to go visit a friend in Spruitview. Alberton to Spruit is about 20 minutes. I knew my friend, he was going to have a good time with his friends there.”
Then came the crash, and the haunting details that still leave Mokoena searching for answers.
“Gift was rushing back because his wife was calling. He was gone for too long. We knew he loved speed. He used to joke and say that as long as he was with me, my ancestors were going to protect him.
“So they got into this accident where the car subsided. Gift came out of the sunroof, he flew out… the other guy made it out conscious… It turned out the guy had taken things out of Gift’s pockets, including money. He left the scene.
“This is the first time I am telling this. It is something that I have kept,” Mokoena confessed.
“Only if that guy could tell us what happened, what happened in the car before the accident. “He claims Gift was distracted by a bend. I don’t believe it. Knowing Gift, he probably got into an argument with the guy in the car. And lost control of the steering wheel while he was probably fighting the guy. He was that type of person.
“There is another guy, John, who gave Gift the car. He gave Gift the car as he wanted to take his wife and kids out… He gave him the keys with a warning that those types of cars fly [BMW 3 Series]. And that was how we lost him,” Mokoena concluded.
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