Shakes Mashaba’s family appeals for help as football icon battles cancer and TB

Former Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba is battling severe health challenges, including prostate cancer and tuberculosis (TB).

His daughter, Nonhlanhla Mashaba, recently made a public appeal for assistance with his rapidly piling medical bills. In addition to financial support, she appealed for in-kind donations, including medical supplies, groceries, hygiene products, a walker and home-care assistance.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Nonhlanhla said her father received his diagnosis three weeks ago at Helen Joseph Hospital after they realised he was no longer coping at home. She revealed that Mashaba (75) is currently managing both his TB treatment and a prostate cancer diagnosis.

“He’s as good as he can get,” Nonhlanhla said. “He’s not on any cancer medication at the moment because we are waiting for a slot to find out what stage the cancer is. He’s just dealing with the TB treatment right now, which is also taking a toll on him. He’s being taken care of at home.”

Nonhlanhla opened up about the heavy financial strain the family is under, revealing that she had to sell her own car to make ends meet. Her father had to cancel his medical aid in 2023 because he could no longer afford it, and he now relies on public healthcare for his TB treatment.

She explained that getting around has also been an issue because none of them has a car currently, making reliable transport difficult to find.

Despite being off medical aid for several years, Nonhlanhla noted that they still face outstanding co-payments for bills that the medical aid did not cover at the time.

She further highlighted the difficulties of relying solely on public healthcare facilities, noting that they do not always provide all the necessary medication, forcing the family to buy costly medication from private pharmacies. In total, the family faces an outstanding balance of about R100,000 in unpaid medical bills, including historical medical aid shortfalls and doctor’s visits.

Nonhlanhla said the family’s most urgent need had been a wheelchair due to Mashaba’s compromised mobility. However, they have now received one from a donor. She expressed relief that her father can finally get out of his bedroom and move around. “Sitting on the bed all day is just not it. He needs the sun and to get out of the bedroom, which wasn’t feasible before.”

She also spoke about the emotional difficulty of dealing with public perceptions regarding her father’s current situation.

“It’s tough. People will make up their own minds about why Dad is in this situation, but they don’t know the half of it. If you get to a point where you can’t even do the most basic things for yourself, it’s not always because someone was careless.”

Since making the public appeal, Nonhlanhla said the response has been deeply moving.

“We are highly appreciative. Yes, we still have a long way to go, but we’ve had great Samaritans, fans, ex-colleagues, and ex-players step forward. I’m blown away by how his former colleagues have responded — how they truly care and want to see Dad get back to himself and get the help he needs.

“We’ve had soccer legends come through to give all their support,” she said. They have not yet heard from the South African Football Association (Safa).

Despite the gruelling nature of his illness, Nonhlanhla assured the public that the football icon’s spirit remains intact.

Dad is naturally a fighter. We are amazed at how he’s fighting through this. He tries to keep his spirits up. This kind of illness is very taxing on the mind and body

— Nonhlanhla Mashaba

“Dad is naturally a fighter. We are amazed at how he’s fighting through this. He tries to keep his spirits up. This kind of illness is very taxing on the mind and body. He sleeps a lot and his speech is a bit slow, but you can still have a conversation and laugh with him. Seeing people come to visit gives him strength.

“I want to assure everyone that we are doing the best we can. We love him and we are making him as comfortable as possible. To the fans who are worried, he is doing the best he can. We are hoping and praying for better days, and we hope he sees them sooner rather than later. I have a feeling he will bounce back because he’s a fighter.”

Gauteng MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation Lebogang Maile visited the football legend at his home on Monday to offer his support and wish him a speedy recovery.

“We felt that we should come visit Coach Mashaba after learning that he was unwell,” Maile said. “Coach Mashaba is in high spirits, very positive, and looking forward to fully recovering.

Maile urged the public to rally behind Mashaba during this difficult time.

Those who wish to make financial contributions can use the banking details provided by the family below:

Bank: Capitec

Account Name: Nonhlanhla HP Mashaba

Account Number: 2552962315

Branch Code: 470010

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