Bafana player killed in car crash
By Solly Maphumulo
Popular and talented Sundowns player Gift Leremi perished in a car crash on Monday night.
Metro police spokesperson Inspector Jimmy Maboko said the accident happened at 9.15pm in Brackensdowns next to Alberton. He said the paramedics arrived five minutes later at the scene and certified him dead.
"He was driving on the fast lane and then lost control to the extreme left of the road. The car went over an embankment and it started overturning," Maboko said.
Have your say at the bottom of this story...
He said Leremi flung out of the vehicle before it stopped at a distance of about 36m.
"There were skid marks over the embankment. You could see that both wheels were touching the ground when it went up the embankment," Maboko said.
He said when he arrived at the scene at 11.30pm on Monday night, Leremi's body had been removed and pieces of his blue 3 series BMW were scattered all over.
"There were blood stains where his body had landed when it was thrown out of the car," Maboko said.
Leremi was born in Pimville, Soweto, and made his debut with Pitares in 2002 and has represented South Africa at Under-20, Under-23 and senior level.
'This is very painful'
Leremi was a talented soccer player who was always in trouble at his club for ill-discipline and drinking excessively.
He joined Sundowns at the beginning of the season and scored a goal in his first game.
Augusto Palacious - Pireates' development coach who groomed Leremi, said he was hurting when he heard the news of Leremi's death.
"This is very painful. I don't only cry tears because he a player, but also a son. I have known him for a long time. He grew up with me in football. All his soccer career I was close to him. I spoke to him last week after they beat Sundowns. I was very happy for him because he was trying to turn his life around. He was arriving early for training. I was always trying to guide, even though he was no longer playing for Pirates because when you love someone you always guide him," Palacious said.
Star
Published on the Web by IOL on 2007-09-04 08:59:47
May His Soul RIP
