Belgian club Genk will retire the No 16 jersey previously worn by Anele Ngcongca following the former Bafana Bafana star’s tragic death.
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Ngcongca was killed in a car accident on Monday morning when the vehicle in which he was a passenger overturned on the N2 freeway near Mtunzini in KwaZulu-Natal.
He was 33.
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News of the former Bafana Bafana defenders death sent shockwaves through not only through South Africa, but Belgium in particular where Ngcongca played for Jupiler Pro League side Genk on no fewer than 223 occasions between 2007-2015.
Ngcongca remained a popular figure at Genk’s Cristal Arena, where he won the league title in 2010/11. Ngcongca is now set to be honoured posthumously after the club confirmed his former jersey number would be retired.
“Number 16 will never be worn again in our club,” Genk’s press and media manager Peter Morren told Kickoff.com
The jersey is currently being worn by Belgium youth international Elias Sierra, who also confirmed that, in honour of Ngcongca, he had given up the strip and elected to wear the No 19 jersey instead.
“Yes, this is true. In honour of him, the No 16 will be retired [and] because I had this number this season, I will get another number which is No 19,” Sierra confirmed.
Following his days in Belgium, Ngcongca returned to South Africa where he represented Mamelodi Sundowns, making 42 appearances for the defending PSL champions.
Ngcongca also has 53 Bafana Bafana caps to his name and was part of Bafana Bafana’s 2010 Soccer World Cup squad.
Ngcongca’s death came just days after that of his ex-girlfriend, Nomasonto “Mshoza” Maswanganyi.
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