Gabuza Back In Action After Mourning Hiatus

SuperSport United striker, Thamsanqa Gabuza who had been granted time off to mourn the death of his son returned to training action in preparation for the weekend Telkom Knockout Round of 16 clash against defending champions Baroka FC.

Gabuza, the Last Man Standing in the MTN8 Cup had the bravery and courage to put in a stellar man of the match performance against Highlands Park despite the death of his son top of his mind.

Gabuza’s  son had passed on and was buried a few days leading to the final against Highlands Park which United won 1-0.

The 2019 MTN8 top scorer decided not to reveal the tragic news to club officials or teammates as he did not want to destabilise the squad ahead of the crunch game.

SuperSport CEO Stan Matthews confirmed Gabuza’s return after being given time to visit his family and mourn his son properly last week.

“We gave him a week off to just go and attend to his family in order to heal and grieve,” said Matthews.

Club captain, Dean Furman was full of praise for the striker for defying expectations in light of personal tragedy highlighting that sometimes all one needs is love to thrive in their career.

“He’s happy at the club and has settled so well. The fact that he could produce a man-of-the-match performance under such personal circumstances says a lot about his character.”

 “I think he’s found the home where he’s loved. We love him and the fans sing his name. He’s enjoying himself. Despite what’s gone on, it’s nice to see his smile on his face.”

Furman comments were also in reference to the turbulent spell the burly striker endured at Orlando Pirates that involved nasty confrontations with certain sections of the Ghost.

Gabuza had formed a telepathic and deadly strike partnership with strike partner Bradley Grobley at Supersport United.

The two forward will aim to continue from where they left off to lead their team in the Telkom Knockout Cup which roars into life this weekend.

By Gerald Dandah