Ex-Orlando Pirates defender Siyabonga Sangweni has urged Brighton Mhlongo to be upbeat after the Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila goalkeeper sustained a career-ending eye injury.
The 30-year-old sustained the injury after the ball knocked him flush in the face during a training session according to Tshakhuma head coach Dylan Kerr.
The former Pirates player has been deemed partially blind after visiting a number of specialist eye doctors and he was advised that he should retire from professional football.
Having been forced into early retirement in 2016 due to a knee injury, Sangweni said that Mhlongo should find something to keep him busy after his career ended abruptly.
“It is hard what has happened to him, and it is painful, and as someone who has experienced it, I don’t wish for anyone to go through it,” Sangweni told Sowetan. “There are so many empty promises that are made. Mhlongo must stay focused and be clear about what he needs to do.
"His career is gone, he must do something else.”
Sangweni and Mhlongo helped Pirates clinch the PSL title, Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup during their time with the Soweto giants.
The former Bafana Bafana international went on to state that Mhlongo will need a lot of support from his family and close friends.
“He needs to get support from his family, and it will also depend on how he treated his family when he was still working," he added. “His situation breaks my heart. To me, it was not that easy. However, my family and wife were very supportive, and that is what matters.
“Importantly, I have a very courageous wife who supported me through thick and thin. I appreciate my wife for being there for me, and also hope that his wife will do the same.”
Mhlongo has been serving as Tshakhuma's second-choice goalkeeper behind Washington Arubi having made just two appearances in the league this term.
The Soweto-born shot-stopper was nurtured in the Pirates academy before being promoted to the club's first team in 2011.
He left Pirates for Chippa United in 2017 and he spent one season with the Eastern Cape-based side, before joining Bidvest Wits in 2018.
Former Kaizer Chiefs stars Brilliant Khuzwayo, Wiseman Meyiwa and Jimmy Jambo are some of the players, whose careers were ended prematurely by injuries.
