Africa-Press – Lesotho. Lesotho national team and Bantu attacking midfielder Neo Mokhachane, has built a tombstone for late teammate Molikeng Makhebesela, who passed on early in April following a long illness associated with shortness of breath.
The gesture from Mokhachane was confirmed by Makhebesela’s wife, ’Maphamotse Makhebesela, who said the family is grateful for the support. “Yes we received support of the tombstone from Neo Mokhachane as a former teammate of my late husband,” she said.
While the two players met mostly in the field of play as rivals, they briefly played together when they were named in the national team provisional squad for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) by former Likuena coach Thabo Senong in 2021.
Mokhachane, who runs a tombstone company said he felt obliged to contribute to the family of his late national team teammate after his wife called making enquiries about prices of tombstones.
“I got a call from Makhebesela’s wife making enquiries about tombstones from our business and I gave her the information she had requested,” Mokhachane explained.
“She had promised to get back to me, but before she did, I called her back to make an offer to contribute the tombstone as a way of paying my respect to a fellow brother as I had also missed the burial because we were playing on the same day.
The 26-year-old dribbling wizard stated that the tombstone he built for his late teammate costs around M7000 from his company, which he has been operating with his father, who used to work for one of the biggest funeral parlors in the country.
“This company Comet and Marble and Granite Industries was started by my father in 2014, who used to work for one of the funeral parlors in the country, but he has since moved his attention to another company and left me to operate the tombstone business operating in Lithabaneng, Khubetsoana and Mokhotlong,” the Likuena and Bantu winger said.
“The family accepted my gesture to pay my respect to my former teammate because like I said, I was away with football commitments when he was laid to rest. The skillful attacking midfielder believes the tombstone business is already helping him to prepare for life after football.
“I can say the business has been doing very well and will be something for me to fall back on once my football days are over, but I have also developed interest to venture into other businesses,” he said.
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