Aspiring soccer player Siphesihle Mtshali recently went public to share a tragic story about how he was brutally raped and assaulted by three men claiming to be from Kwa-Zulu Natal soccer club Golden Arrows.
Saw poster about soccer trials
Speaking to Sunday World, 21-year-old Mtshali from Noshezi in Mkhambathini, said he grew up playing soccer. When he saw a poster about trials that the club would host, he made sure to have the fee that was required.
Mtshali was meant to meet the man he had been talking to on Facebook in Durban. However, the man and his associates made him wait from morning till night time.
“When they finally arrived, they apologised for making me wait and told me I would go to trials the next day. We went to a certain house. [When we got there] they hit me with a hard object, pointed a gun at me, and took turns raping me,” said Mtshali.
Sexual assault all night, then dumped in town
He was then dumped in Durban Central bleeding profusely. A woman assisted him and called her daughter to come pick him up. On that night Mtshali said he could not sleep. The next day he went home and never told anyone.
From 2020 until 2022 he kept the ordeal a secret. In those two years, he was bleeding non-stop. Eventually, his brother saw his sheet covered in blood and asked him what was going on.
“They took me to the clinic. But because the damage was too much, I was referred to Edendale Hospital. There they assisted me and took me to the Thuthuzela care centre. This was where I received psychological help. I later tried to open a case but did not succeed. I constantly wore a pad and I even dropped out of school because of the ordeal.”
Mtshali said the incident has changed his love for soccer to a point where he does not watch it. He does not play it anymore because it is a constant reminder of what happened.
Soccer triggers memories, but his talent remains
“I may hate soccer but my God-given talent has not changed. It remains, and given an opportunity by a club I would grab it with both hands. Golden Arrows has promised to give me a chance and I am still waiting. My romantic relationships fail because of the stigma that follows me and what the community says about me.”
Golden Arrows media officer Comfort Thusi said he was saddened about Mtshali’s ordeal. He confirmed that they would give him a chance to come for trials at the right time.
Thusi also advised aspiring young players to always be cautious about their social media pages and interactions.
“Some of the red flags that people need to note is that we are Golden Arrows FC only. We have our office number there and we would never make anyone pay a fee for trials.”
