Ex-Bafana star Maimane Phiri responding well to treatment after being shot twice in Alex

Ex-Bafana Bafana star Maimane Phiri takes part in the 2016 Maimane Alfred Phiri Games at Alexandra Stadium. Phiri was shot in a tavern on Thursday, but is in a stable condition.
Ex-Bafana Bafana star Maimane Phiri takes part in the 2016 Maimane Alfred Phiri Games at Alexandra Stadium. Phiri was shot in a tavern on Thursday, but is in a stable condition.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Maimane Phiri is responding well to treatment and has been able to converse with family members after he was shot twice at the tavern he owns in Alexandra on Thursday night.

Phiri was wounded in the arm and leg, while another victim was killed before the gunman turned the weapon on himself. Phiri’s sister Eleanor has confirmed to TimesLIVE that he is well on the way to recovery and that doctors are happy with his progress.

“We have been talking to him, he called his daughter and they had a video chat,” Eleanor said on Sunday. “The nurses are very happy with the way he is responding to the treatment.

“He is in a lot of pain and the wounds have been bleeding a bit, but he is OK and responding to the medication. He is still sleeping quite a bit at the moment because of the medication he is on, but he can walk and has even been starting physio.

“All in all, things are going as well as can be expected and he will make a full recovery, which is obviously a big relief to the family. We are very thankful for the medical care he is receiving.”

Police have opened a case of murder, attempted murder and an inquest docket into the incident, which appears to be an act of domestic violence between the unnamed gunman and his partner, with Phiri injured as he tried to intervene. 

Phiri played 13 times for SA, debuting just before the 1998 World Cup in France and earning a place in the squad for the tournament in what was seen as a surprise choice. It proved an unhappy occasion as he was sent off against Denmark in Bafana’s second game, though the decision seemed somewhat harsh and he can consider himself unlucky.

He had played just a handful of games for Jomo Cosmos before moving to Vanspor in Turkey, and then later helped Genclerbirligi to win the 2001 Turkish Cup final against giants Fenerbahce. He moved to Samsunspor in October 2001 and then returned to play in SA with Cosmos a year later, and after that moved to Ajax Cape Town and Moroka Swallows.

His Bafana career spanned eight years, having been recalled just shy of his 32nd birthday by caretaker national team coach Pitso Mosimane in 2006.


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