Sekhukhune United’s head coach, Lehlohonolo Seema, recently addressed the return of midfielder Shaun Mogaila to competitive football after a lengthy four-month hiatus.
Mogaila, who has been absent due to serious legal issues, is currently facing charges of culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving, and fleeing the scene of a tragic car accident that occurred in October 2024 year. The accident resulted in the death of a nine-year-old girl, with two other individuals sustaining severe injuries.
The 29-year-old midfielder was granted bail and is awaiting his next court appearance in May, following his second court date two weeks ago. At the time of writing, the case is under investigation.
Despite these ongoing legal matters, Seema made the decision to include Mogaila in the starting lineup for Sekhukhune United’s 4-2 victory over AmaZulu at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday, where Mogaila enjoyed a full run out.
During an interview with iDiski Times, Seema confirmed that the decision to field Mogaila in the starting line up was a sign of the club’s continued support for the player, emphasizing that the former Royal AM man needed both time and support.
“He is a player that has been registered to us and, of course, he had an unfortunate incident that happened and the team gave him support and time to deal with it,”
“And now he’s back, and we are happy with the first game after a long time and we are happy with the contribution that he did. And yeah, look, he is the player that we know.
“The only thing that we are doing is that we put that behind our back of course and then we try to give him support so that he can continue working for the team.
“Definitely the team has been supporting him you can see the way he’s playing. Yeah it was very unfortunate, it can happen to anyone of us but he needed support he needed time of which he was given time.
“Now it’s time for him to go back and then try also to clear his mind with something that he is doing he’s liking and let’s see. I’m happy with the performance after a long time the way he came.”
He expressed satisfaction with Mogaila’s performance on the pitch, noting that the midfielder showed good form during the game. Sekhukhune Untied will be in action this weekend against Chippa United.
It remains to be seen if Mogaila will make his second appearance since the turn of the year for Babina Noko. Kick off at the Buffalo City Municipality Stadium is set for 15:30 on Saturday, 22 February 2025.