MOVING ON FROM TRAGEDY

7 APRIL 2015 – the date is etched in Free State Stars defender Bokang Tlhone’s memory forever. It has been nine months since his teammate and close friend Richard Henyekane and four passengers lost their lives when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck and caught fire on the N5 between Harrismith and Bethlehem in the Free State. The car involved in the crash belonged to Tlhone, who was in the car behind and unable to assist as his friend perished. In fact, it could easily have been Tlhone behind the wheel. Thlone explained to City Press at the time: “We were in four different cars, but we first stopped at a chill spot called Five Star. At around 6pm, we decided to move to Stern Village restaurant in QwaQwa. From that moment I decided I wasn’t driving anymore, because I was a bit tipsy. I then gave Richard my car keys.” Tlhone has suffered nightmares and constant flashbacks of what he witnessed at Henyekane’s accident scene, but as time passes he feels he has recovered and is grateful to Ea Lla Koto captain Paulus Masehe and the club for their support. “In terms of forgetting what happened, there was no way I was going to do that alone,” Tlhone explains.“I’m very close to our captain and I share a room with him. He’s always there for me and the club has also played a big part, because they’ve been taking me to counselling sessions. That has helped me a lot to deal with what happened in April. “It also helps me that each time I want to chat about Richard I do so – some people say, ‘No, no, you’re going to go back if you talk about it’ but it actually helps me. Wherever he is, he would want me to do well. I have to be strong going forward.” The Mafikeng-born defender insists he is now in a position to improve his game after a solid start to the season. “I believe I have fully recovered … everything is okay now, but sometimes when I’m on the field I do think that I could have been creating chances for Richard and he could have been scoring, espe- Bokang Tlhone cially with the type of football we are playing now. All I can do is focus on my game. Though every game I play, I think of Richard,” he says. “I’m also finding inspiration from fellow players like Bongani Zungu – when I was loaned out from Kaizer Chiefs to [NFD side] Dynamos, I played with him. He came from a team in the Castle League, but you could see his quality. The late Richard Henyekane

I knew we would make it to the PSL. And seeing where he is now, playing for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana, it encourages me. “I think I’m having my best season since I came to Free State Stars, because here I have a coach [Ernst Middendorp] who has that belief in me and I have to give 100 percent in every match.” By Tiyani wa ka Mabasa