‘As much as it hurts, we have peace that he is no longer in pain’
The Grace Bible Church in Soweto fell silent as the children of former Bafana Bafana striker Phil Masinga delivered an emotional tribute to their father on Monday.
The late football star, who would have turned 50 this year, died after a long battle with cancer last week.
He had been in hospital since December.
Daughter Tinyiko Masinga, spoke on behalf of her siblings Sifiso, Tinyiko, Tatyana and Buhle Masinga, and told mourners of the love they had for their father.
“We loved our father more than words could express and we will always keep him in our hearts. Our father loved us so much and he was not afraid to show it. He always had a big smile and excitement when he saw us. Even during the time he was in the hospital it gave us hope that he would beat whatever it was that was making him ill. As much as it hurts we have peace that he is no longer in pain and he is watching down on us.”
Masinga’s friends also paid homage to the late football star.
Monty Kekana detailed some of the last moments he shared with Masinga while he was in hospital.
“I was looking at him and seeing him lose weight. My heart always bled, when I visited him. Those were not easy hospital visits. You know you’d go in there and it was tough and I saw a lot of big guys crying after those visits.”
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Daniel "Mambush" Mudau, who played for Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns, said more needed to be done for former players.
"I am saying to all the legends, let's hold each other. I say to PSL, to SAFA to FIFA, please we are you custodians. Make sure that you get us projects, even us the legends we don't want easy things. All of us can't be coaches, all of us can't be agents. But if all of us legends were to put our minds together and go to PSL and SAFA and say here we are we want to make sure that we groom SA football. I think that one will help.”