On Monday, soccer fans across the country were saddened by the news of the passing of Orlando Pirates legend John Moeti, who was fondly known as ‘Dungi’. Moeti was 55 years old and had been receiving specialist medical care for an undisclosed illness for the past eight months.
Moeti was part of the Buccaneers squad between 1995 and 1999 and was part of the team that won the CAF Champions League for the Sea Robbers in 1995, the first South African club to achieve that feat. He was also part of the golden Bafana Bafana team that won its first and only Africa Cup of Nations title in 1996 and retired having earned 29 caps.
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane, who was Moeti’s teammate at Pirates, has paid tribute to the late legend. “To lose someone like John, I played with him at Pirates. He was my senior, very humble person, he was very dedicated, very disciplined,” Zwane said in a press conference ahead of Chiefs’ Nedbank Cup last 32 clash against Maritzburg United.
“He was one of the seniors that used to call us to order, those who were a little bit younger that time and we had to listen to him when he was talking to us. Trying to help us understand or see things differently and I think the nation has lost a giant and condolences to his family and his wife because I knew his wife. I used to see his wife most of the time when we were playing at Pirates,” he added.
Moeti’s passing has left a void in South African soccer, but his legacy will live on forever
Heartbreaking news
Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana legend John Moeti has sadly passed away.
— Thomas Mlambo (@thomasmlambo) February 6, 2023
