Shock and mourning as South African football star Ngcongca dies in car crash at age 33

Former South Africa international Anele Ngcongca has died in a car accident at the age of 33, according to reports. The football star is said to have crashed while driving in the province of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday morning.

Ngcongca died at the scene of the crash after being thrown from his vehicle, while a female companion is in a critical condition, according to news outlet eNCA. 

Local police did not name the footballer as the victim, but confirmed a crash in the area which caused a fatality. 

"At 05:00, a vehicle with two occupants lost control and overturned on the N2 freeway near Mtunzini. A 33-year-old man was declared dead at the scene," brigadier Jay Naicker said, Goal reported. 

"The driver sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for medical attention. The circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation. A case of culpable homicide has been opened for investigation by Mtunzini SAPS."

As reports filtered out online of Ngcongca's passing, tributes began to pour in for the right-back, who played 53 times for Bafana Bafana between 2009 and 2016. 

Videos and photos appeared also purporting to show the scene of the crash, with a white car seen at the side of the road with a badly crumpled hood. 

In another tragic aspect to the story, Ngcongca's ex-girlfriend, Nomasonto “Mshoza” Maswanganyi, is reported to have died just days earlier. 

Cape Town-born Ngcongca initially made a name for himself at second-tier South African team FC Fortune, before moving to Belgium to play at Genk, making over 200 appearances and winning the Belgian league title and two Belgian Cups.

He had a loan spell with Troyes in France before returning to his homeland in 2016 to play for Premier Soccer League outfit Mamelodi Sundowns.

Just before his untimely death, Ngcongca had reportedly signed for Durban club AmaZulu and was awaiting confirmation of the move.