Veteran midfielder Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane has urged fellow players in the topflight and in the lower tier to stick to their training indoor programs during the 21-day lockdown to stay fit and healthy.

Absa premiership and GladAfrica Championship players have been training on their own since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the state of disaster last week and will continue to do so in the 21 days of the national lockdown.

Issues of ill-discipline in the PSL are well documented with coaches regularly dealing with alcohol abuse and other off the field problems‚ a reality that led Letsholonyane to appeal to players to take responsibility during the lockdown.

“I think we all know that this is not a normal situation we are in at the moment‚ so I’m expecting players to take full responsibility and look after themselves.

"They must stay fit and be ready to return to action when it is decided that the league is going to resume‚” said the 37-year-old former Bafana Bafana playmaker.

“My advice to players would be to continue training and follow the programs they were given by the clubs.

"They must also eat and drink things that will supplement their bodies after their work-out sessions. It’s time to show maturity from both the experienced and younger players‚ everyone must grow up and respect their jobs.

“It is very difficult to perform at your best when you are not fit‚ so fitness matters.

"Being fit also helps athletes to avoid unnecessary injuries such as cramps. Following the program from the club will help players to stay in shape so that by the time we start we can focus more on tactics and touching the ball in friendly games.”

Letsholonyane said being fit and healthy is going to be beneficial when the season eventually resumes as they are not going to have enough time to prepare like the usually do during pre-season.

“The difference now and pre-season is that we don’t know when the league is going to resume and we might not have the luxury of doing proper training as a team because there will not be enough time to do that.

"We should try and stay in shape at home throughout this period to be ready to resume with the program when it is safe to do so.

“Generally pre-season takes about 6 to 8 weeks depending on the team’s program.

"This is a special case and we won’t have that much time because the league program must be completed to allow for GladAfrica Championship promotion and relegation play-offs.

"After that‚ there must off-season for players to rest and later start preparing for the next season.”