Ramaphosa pays tribute to young sports stars Jayden Adams and Luqobo Makwedini

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences following the deaths of Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams and former South African Rugby Under-18 prop Luqobo Makwedini.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the families of the two young athletes, who died at the ages of 25 and 20 respectively.

Magwenya said the President’s thoughts were with Adams’ teammates at Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns, as well as Makwedini’s former SA Under-18 teammates and his club colleagues in France.

Ramaphosa described the loss of the two athletes as particularly tragic, coming at a time when South Africans were celebrating major sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup and international rugby fixtures involving the Springboks and Springbok Women.

“It is particularly tragic that we are suffering the loss of two outstanding, young athletes at a time when our nation continues to immerse itself in the FIFA World Cup tournament, as well as the Springboks’ and Springbok Women’s matches against Scotland and the USA Eagles in Pretoria today,” Ramaphosa said.

The President paid tribute to the contribution made by Adams and Makwedini, saying they had brought pride to the country through their sporting achievements.

“We are grateful for the joy and victories Jayden and Luqobo have given us and their teams as they lived their dreams and held South Africa’s name high on the scoreboards of global sport,” Ramaphosa said.

He extended his condolences to both families, teammates and the wider sporting community.

“May their souls rest in peace,” Ramaphosa said.

IOL News 

Get your news on the go. Download the latest IOL App for Android and IOS now