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The late international soccer legend Lesley “Slow Poison” Manyathela’s birthday was celebrated when his mother, Gladys Manyathela, and Musina Mayor Carol Phiri laid a special wreath at the grave of the former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana striker at Musina on Saturday, 3 September.
Manyathela was born on September 4, 1981. He died in a vehicle accident just outside Musina on August 9, 2003. He was buried on September 16, 2003, and his tombstone was unveiled on Heritage Day, September 24, 2003.
Manyathela was the top goal scorer in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 2003, scoring 22 goals. He also helped his team, Orlando Pirates, to win league championship honours in the 2002/2003 season.
Manyathela started his soccer career at Chelamoya in Musina and was loaned to Dynamos FC before he was lured to Orlando Pirates in 2001. He made his debut for South Africa against Saudi Arabia in 2002 and earned nine caps, scoring four goals.
From 2000 to 2003 with Orlando Pirates, he played 73 matches and scored 48 goals. He had just returned from trials in France when he died.
In the 2003/2004 soccer season, the top goal scorer award for the PSL was renamed the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot Award. The Musina Local Municipality has also named the local soccer stadium after him.
Mayor Phiri said South Africa was very grateful to the Manyathela family for having given birth to a soccer icon and availing him for national duty. He said the wreath-laying ceremony would continue to unite all sports fanatics in the same spirit of community development through participation in sporting activities.
News - Date: 09 September 2011
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