Cricket development has been left poorer following the death of the sport’s enthusiast and philanthropist Mthetheleli Ngumbela.
The Eastern Cape businessman passed away following a car accident on the N2 between Dutywa and Butterworth on Wednesday. Ngumbela, 81, was a COVID-19 survivor.
The octogenarian spent more than 30 years financing the annual Ngumbela Cricket Tournament held at Ngumbela Park in Healdtown, his place of birth.
The tournament, which he started in 1989, has played a massive role in South African cricket as it has helped unearth raw talent in the Eastern Cape.
Some of the talent that was unearthed by the Ngumbela Cricket Tournament include former Proteas bowlers Makhaya Ntini, Mfuneko Ngam and Monde Zondeki.
Ngumbela, who was a Dutywa-based businessman, received the Mkiva Humanitarian Award in 2014.
