Africa-Press – South-Africa. Former Border Bulldogs head coach Elliot Fana has died in a car accident, Sport24 can reveal.
The University of Fort Hare (UFH) confirmed Fana’s death, with JP Roodt, the university spokesperson, saying his passing left “a great void in the province”.
“The University of Fort Hare community is in mourning following the untimely departure of friend and colleague, Mr Elliot Fana, who passed in a car accident yesterday (Tuesday),” said Roodt.
“There is a great void in the province today. Mr Fana always had bold dreams for youth and sport at both an institutional and provincial level.
“He worked tirelessly to achieve his vision and the high standards that he set for himself and others.
“As part of his memorialisation, the UFH Blues will wear black armbands at an upcoming Varsity Shield match if it is permitted by the organisers.”
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Details of the accident are yet to be determined at this stage.
Fana coached World Cup-winning Springboks Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am during his time as a Border coach between 2014 and 2016.
He also coached Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar cricket at St Dominic’s College in Welkom before going full-time into rugby coaching.
At the time of his death, Fana was the director of rugby at Fort Hare, which was riding high in this year’s Varsity Shield competition after four wins in four matches.
Fana also coached UFH Blues from 2009 to 2013 prior to taking over at the Border provincial union, where players like Mapimpi, Am, Masixole Banda, Billy Dutton and Johannes Jonker excelled under his tutelage.
From 2008 to 2011, he was also an SA Under-20 technical coach, working under then-Under-20 head coach Eric Sauls. Springboks Elton Jantjies, Pat Lambie, Jaco Taute and Francois Venter, as well as Ireland international CJ Stander, were part of that national Under-20 team in that period.
He also coached the Border Under-21 side to the Currie Cup B-Division title in 2011.
Fana spoke on the team’s promise in the MAP1MP1 documentary – about Mapimpi’s rise to stardom – airing on SuperSport’s rugby and Grandstand channels at 20:00 on 27 March.
He was 41.
Roodt added: “In addition, the UFH Health Science Institute at the Faculty of Health Sciences will dedicate tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) inaugural two-day Sport Psychology and Development conference in East London to the loving memory of Mr Fana.
“The conference is held in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, and the Eastern Cape and the Eastern Cape Sports Academy.”
UFH Blues next play Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in the Varsity Shield in Cape Town on 1 April.
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