Ngcobo trying his best for wheelchair-bound Meyiwa

While many people in football may be gradually starting to forget about talented former Kaizer Chiefs midfield prodigy Wiseman Meyiwa, his former teammate and homeboy Nkosingiphile Ngcobo looks to still have his back.

Meyiwa, who's now 22, suffered a career-ending injury in a horrific car crash that left him in a wheelchair in 2018. The former SA under-20 international damaged his vertebrae and spinal cord in the collision and was forced into early retirement as he couldn't walk on his own.

Meyiwa and Ngcobo both came through Amakhosi's development ranks. The pair's friendship was also consolidated by the fact that they hail from the same place, Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal. Updates about Meyiwa have been scarce since his retirement. Now, Ngcobo has given the lowdown on his pal.

"Sometimes it's hard to get hold of him but whenever I go home [to Pietermaritzburg] and I have a chance, I go and speak with him. I make sure I sit with him...converse with him. I don't know his mental situation but whenever he is with people he talks and he's free,'' Ngcobo said at Naturena before the Carling Black Label Cup almost two weeks ago.

Meyiwa was tipped by many as the heir to Reneilwe Letsholonyane's midfield throne and to date, Amakhosi have struggled to really find the midfield in the same mould as the now retired Letsholonyane. Before his untimely retirement, Meyiwa had managed 21 appearances for Chiefs. 

Meanwhile, Ngcobo also vowed they will return from the World Cup-induced hiatus stronger than before. "I think we will be given a break but we have to come back because we want to work on our mistakes. I believe we will come back better because we would have worked on our shortcomings,'' Ngcobo said.

Chiefs' first game when action resumes is against Golden Arrows in the DStv Premiership at Princess Magogo Stadium on New Year's Eve. Amakhosi managed 15 points from 13 outings before the break.