As SA mourns Moeti we remember his departed Afcon teammates

As the country mourns the death of Bafana Bafana midfielder John “Dungi” Moeti, we remember three other players from the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winning squad who have died.

Moeti, who was on the fringes of coach Clive Barker’s team that lifted the continental trophy on home soil two years after democracy, died on Monday aged 55.

Moeti played for Dynamos, Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United in a career where he established himself as a dominant midfield enforcer. He played crucial substitute roles at the 1996 Afcon, serving as a classy backup to an excellent midfield of Eric Tinkler, Linda Buthelezi, Doctor Khumalo and John “Shoes” Moshoeu. 

Sizwe Motaung (died August 2001)

A key member of the 1996 team, Motaung was the preferred right-back of coach Barker. He died of an HIV/Aids-related disease at just 31.

A devastatingly effective overlapping fullback, he played for clubs including Jomo Cosmos, Mamelodi Sundowns, St Gallen in Switzerland, CD Tenerife in Spain, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

John “Shoes” Moshoeu (died April 2015)

Widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation, and even among the world’s more gifted playmakers of the 1990s, Shoes was one of the most influential performers in Bafana’s Afcon success. He died at the age of 49 after a long battle with cancer.

Capped 73 times for Bafana, Moshoeu’s club career took him from Giant Blackpool to Chiefs before moving to Turkey where he turned out for Genclerbirligi, Fenerbahce and Bursaspor with great success.

He returned to SA in 2002 to play for Chiefs again, AmaZulu and amateur Alexandra United before he retired at the age of 43, having played more than 500 club matches and scored more than 150 goals.

Phil “Chippa” Masinga (died January 2019)

Another key member of Barker’s side, Chippa died at the age of 49 in a Johannesburg hospital from cancer.

Despite scoring many goals, Masinga is remembered for the beautiful long-range strike that helped Bafana Bafana beat Congo-Brazzaville 1-0 at FNB Stadium to earn the result that took SA to their first World Cup in France in 1998. 

He played for Jomo Cosmos and Mamelodi Sundowns before moving to England in 1994 to join Premiership side Leeds United, where he enjoyed limited success.

Masinga achieved far more for St Gallen in Switzerland, Salernitana and Bari in Italy’s Serie A and Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates.