The death of former Zimbabwe national team footballer Charles Yohane, who lived in South Africa, has once again highlighted the difficulties that African athletes sometimes experience at the conclusion of their careers.
Yohane died in South Africa on February 12th, at the age of 48, in an apparent carjacking.
He was a taxi driver as well as a coach for an amateur football club, and he had also established an academy with his dear buddy Edelbert Dinha, with whom he had played in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
Yohane was slain after his automobile was stolen while he was stopped at a traffic signal. In front of onlookers in Soweto, he was shot in the head, and his body was discovered the next day.
Yohane's career highlight was supplying the cross for Zimbabwe's first-ever Africa Cup of Nations goal, which was scored by captain Peter Ndlovu, in the Warriors' 2-1 loss to Egypt in their opening encounter at the 2004 championships.
He also played a role in the tournament's winning goal, when he handed the ball to Esrom Nyandoro, who scored with a spectacular long-range drive from outside the box in a 5-3 loss to Cameroon.
Yohane was a driver for taxi firm Bolt at the time of his death, while working on other plans after reaching those heights and making a club-record 268 appearances for South African top-flight club Wits.
"As a footballer, he would have earned roughly $5,000 (£3,700) each month.
Yohane arrived to South Africa from Zimbabwe in 1996 and played for Wits, where he became captain and set a club record with 268 games from 1997 to 2006.
He eventually became the Wits developing coach, however he was fired when the club's franchise was sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila in 2020.
To keep his coaching talents sharp, he joined amateur club Leruma United FC in the ABC Motsepe League's third division. But because of his inexperience, he needed a new source of income, which is why he became a cab driver.
Yohane is one of many great African players who had successful careers but subsequently fell on hard things when they retired.
Mulamba Ndaye, a Congolese and African football star, died in poverty in South Africa in 2019 at the age of 70.
At the 1974 Nations Cup, he set a tournament record with nine goals.
David Mkandawire, a Zimbabwean player, travelled to South Africa and did not return.
Mkandawire played for clubs such as Amazulu, but he struggled after he retired and died penniless.
His is only one of many such situations in Africa, and there has been significant discussion over the years about making arrangements for the welfare of former players.
However, the unpleasant reality is that meeting their requirements is impossible.
