Before taking you through the long list of some of the South African stars who were found wanting by the system and tested positive for the use of forbidden substances, we will first define what doping is and the worst that could happen to the career of an offender.
In simple terms, doping is the act of using artificial substances, which are illegal, to
enhance performance to gain an advantage over competitors.
Some of the examples of these banned substances include anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, stimulants and diuretics.
Some athletes are either sabotaged or, unfortunately, consume such substances, unaware. But ignorance is not an acceptable excuse.
Recently, South Africa’s bowling kingpin Kagiso Rabada tested positive for a recreational drug and served a one-month ban from cricket.
Rabada, unfortunately, failed the drug test conducted by the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport, after the substance was found in his system during the SA20 competition in January this year.
The Proteas pacer has since been cleared to lace up and deliver once again and will be available to feature in the forthcoming World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in England next month.
Following is a list of some of the SA stars that have found themselves in similar, some worse, situations, due to the use of illegal substances.
Aphiwe Dyantyi:
The story of Dyantyi is probably one of the saddest tales of a talent and a promising career ruined due to doping.
Dyantyi went from being the next big thing in SA rugby to being one of the biggest flops after he was slapped with a four-year ban for doping ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
He tested positive for multiple performance-enhancing drugs while in camp with the Springboks. Even though he pleaded guilty, Dyantyi insisted that he unknowingly ingested the substances while drinking from a friend’s water bottle at the gym.
Now 30, Dyantyi has made a resurgence in and is currently with the rugby union team, Blue Bulls.
Thandani Ntshumayelo:
Another player who faced a four-year ban is former SuperSport United, Orlando Pirates and Swallows FC midfielder Thandani “Bibo” Ntshumayelo. This is after he tested positive for cocaine in 2016.
Ntshumayelo was, though, cleared to play after his appeal was successful.
His appeal in 2018 was filed on the basis that the appropriate sanction should have been two years instead of the four years he was slapped with.
Luvo Manyonga:
A former long jump world champion and Olympic silver medallist, Manyonga, was banned for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit from competition in 2021 due to “whereabouts violations”.
Manyonga is said to have had three whereabouts failures in a space of 12 months. The first was a missed test, which was followed by two filing failure incidents.
The Paarl-born athlete has struggled with drug addiction and had previously served an 18-month suspension for drug use in 2012.
Now 34, Manyongo’s official comeback from the delay was delayed due to an injury. He was set to headline the Athletics SA Grand Prix Continental Tour Challenger 1 in March.
Elton Jantjies:
In August 2023, Jantjies was suspended from playing rugby professionally as a result of a finding that he had used a prohibited substance, Clenbuterol. His suspension was replaced with a four-year ban on January 18, 2024.
Others who suffered the same fate, are former Kaizer Chiefs player Josta Dladla (for Methylhexanamine), Mamelodi Sundowns star Manqoba “Shakes” Ngwenya (marijuana) and Sbu Nkosi (suspended for three years for anabolic steroids).
