Legendary Mamelodi Sundowns player Lovers Mohlala has paid a tribute to his friend and former teammate Alton Meiring, who passed away over the weekend from a stabbing.
According to Mohlala, he first got to know Meiring in the late 1990s, when they were both playing for South Africa’s Under-20 national team.
He claims that the news shocked him and that he is still in disbelief that his friend had to pass away in such a way.
One of Meiring’s tenants in Germiston, east of Johannesburg, where he was staying, is said to have stabbed the Cape Town native. Meiring was 49 years old.
Details around the incident are still sketchy at the moment.
Kind and sweet
“Alton was a very kind and sweet person, and I just don’t understand how someone can want to kill Alton,” Mohlala told Sunday World.
“Alton never argued with anyone. Even on the field, he would never complain. I want to say that it was not his time to die because I know him.
“We met at the SA Under-20, and we became friends. Last week, we added him to a WhatsApp group of Sundowns legends, and today he is gone.”
He continued: “I hear that the person who killed him is a foreign national who does not have proper documents to be in the country.
“The police must do their job and take him to task; justice must be served. I feel sorry for Alton and his family.
“This country is no longer safe to live in, and the level of crime is appalling. People are victims of crime every day, and the cases are not solved.
“The politicians are the only people who are safe in South Africa.”
A versatile player, Meiring represented both the South African junior national team and Bafana Bafana.
Well-travelled football player
He played club football for the Cape Town Spurs, Sundowns, Moroka Swallows, Jomo Cosmos, Golden Arrows, and Hellenic, among other Premier Soccer League teams.
He had retired, but Lusa Africa Football Club was still using him as a coach at the time of his passing.
Spurs wrote on their Twitter account: “We are saddened by the loss of former Cape Town Spurs player and legend, Alton Meiring.
“We, at Cape Town Spurs, would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Meiring family.”
Magesi FC posted on Facebook: “Magesi FC is saddened by the loss of former Cape Town Spurs player and legend, Alton Meiring.
“We therefore would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Meiring family and Cape Town Spurs at large.”
Funeral details and the memorial service will be announced at a later stage.
