By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za
“Daddy, I love you so much. I know that you loved me so much because you told me all the time. I am going to miss you, your hugs and kisses.
“I’m going to miss you spoiling me with treats, watching me play cricket and soccer, and cheering me up, saying ‘bathathe Ponkie’,” Lethabo said during the send off of her father, Lucky Maselesele.
The funeral service of the former Kaizer Chiefs and Maritzburg United star was held at God Never Fails Church in Alexandra.
Cosmos Zwane, football legend said it was difficult to talk about Lucky’s death, indicating that the person he was and how he died were completely different.
“ He was jolly, and his own funny dance moves that would make you laugh. He didn’t even care about his Kaizer Chiefs statues. He was a human being before his profession.
He was buried at Waterfall Cemetery.
Former Kaizer Chiefs player Isaac Mabotsa has questioned reports surrounding the tragic death of a childhood friend and teammate Maselesele.
Mabotsa, who featured alongside Maselesele at Chiefs hit out at reports that his close friend was involved in drugs and criminal activities.
Media reports had suggested that the former striker was a drug user and was beaten to death by community members for stealing electrical cables.
“No way, people are just creating stories,” Mabotsa told Kickoff.com.
“The story I received was that Lucky and these boys knew each other. He knew who did this to him, they were his friends.
“So for the media to report that that Lucky was stealing cables and was on drugs, I was shocked to hear that.
“Because from what I know he never did those things. That’s why I went all out to find out what really happened.
“After hearing that these boys were arrested I went to the police station to find what’s in their charge sheet.
“Only to find out it was the same story of stealing cables and drug use.
“That’s the statement these boys gave to the police. I think they were trying to cover up whatever happened. There’s an eyewitness who saw them and called the cops and ambulance.
“The bottom line is nobody really knows why he was killed. But what I know is, he was killed by his friends, by the four boys that have been arrested, not the community.
“I’m still left with questions as to what he did to deserve this. Because of the way he was killed, that’s what broke my heart you see.
“He was taken to the government mortuary that was until it was found out who he was, due to the injuries he was unrecognisable.
“There’s no evidence that he was stealing or whatever. But at the present moment, the cops are handling the case.
“It hurts me, I was heartbroken because I was very close to Lucky we grew up together,” Mabotsa adds.
“I was always with Lucky sharing a room in camps, we’ve always been together even after football.
“We did most of the things together because our parents worked for the same company.
“He was a family friend to me because I could go to their house and make my own food. Just three weeks back we even buried his mother.”
According to Scrolla.Africa, Lucky’s close friends say he was struggling with drug addiction and was associating with the wrong people.
In recent years, Lucky had been active in motivating young players to refrain from an expensive lifestyle that doesn’t suit their pockets.
He was also advising young people in the community to stay away from drugs, by telling them that he was the first Premier Soccer League player to test positive for cocaine during his playing days.
Lucky’s aunt Maria Masize told Scrolla.Africa that his death shocked their family as they are still mourning the death of his mother Sophia Maselesele, who died of a stroke three weeks ago. She was 64.
Maria said four people attacked Lucky on Wednesday night.
“We don’t know the motive of the attack because no one has come forward to us to tell us why he was attacked,” she said.
Four men stoned Lucky with heavy bricks.
“Most of the bricks landed on his head and it looked crushed and swollen when we went to identify it at the Hillbrow government mortuary.”
Lucky was lying unconscious after being stoned, according to a woman who came to tell the family about how Lucky died.
“They left him on the road and while he was trying hard to get help and be rescued. But the men brought two pit bulls and unleashed them on him.
“While the pit bulls bit Lucky, the men kept on throwing stones at him. When the ambulance arrived with the police, he was certified dead on the same spot,” said Maria.
The men who attacked Lucky wanted him dead, she added. “How did they have to go and fetch the dogs to finish him?
“If this was a robbery as some may claim, we haven’t heard from the police to tell us whether he was found in possession of any stolen items,” she said.
Sources: Daily Sun, Scrolla.Africa, Kick Off.com
