RIP Hannes Strydom

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Nov 20, 2023, 14:12

South Africa's former rugby star Hannes Strydom has died in a car accident at the age of 58.

He was part of the Springbok team that famously won the 1995 Rugby World Cup after the end of apartheid in 1994.

Strydom gained 21 Springbok caps in his career between 1993 and 1997.

Former teammate and close friend Kobus Wiese told local media that details of the accident were still vague, but the vehicle Strydom was travelling in collided with a minibus taxi.

The accident took place on Sunday near the coal mining town of eMalahleni in Mpumalanga province.

South African Rugby Union President Mark Alexander hailed Strydom as "one of the heroes of our local game" in the Springboks' tribute to him.

His former club, the Lions, also paid tribute to him, describing him as a legend who had formed a formidable lock combination with Wiese.

"We share a tight bond as members of the 1995 group and to lose yet another one of our brothers is a big blow," said Lions Rugby Company chief executive officer Rudolf Straeuli.

Strydom made his debut for the Springboks in 1993, and helped defeat arch-rivals New Zealand 15-12 in the 1995 World Cup final in Johannesburg - the biggest sporting event in South Africa after the end of apartheid.

He ended his Springbok career in 1997 after playing in the British and Irish Lions series.

Strydom also captained the Lions team that hoisted the local Currie Cup trophy in 1999.

He made 115 appearances for the team between 1993 and 2000.

Outside rugby, Strydom worked as a pharmacist in the capital, Pretoria, and started pharmacy chain Pharma Valu after hanging up his boots.

In 2014, he suffered a cracked skull and stab wounds after six people attacked him in a carjacking, landing him in intensive care.

He is the fifth player from the 1995 Springbok team to have died.

The others include Ruben Kruger in 2010, Joost van der Westhuizen in 2017, and Chester Williams and James Small in 2019. Coach Kitch Christie also died in 1998.

Nov 20, 2023, 14:22

That side seems star crossed…..this is bit like the Andy McDonald story, surviving a lion attack and then being murdered by terrorists. Hannes surviving the car jacking only to be killed in a collision with a taxi. The roads in South Africa seem to be lethal.

It must have been a shock to his family, condolences to them. 

Nov 20, 2023, 14:45

Sad news, have to admit I do not remember the name at all.


Chester Williams  and James Small I do remember and wasn't aware they had also passed.

Nov 20, 2023, 20:21

Hannes was in the 95 final.

A really strong player who was fairly mobile given the era he played in.

Nov 20, 2023, 20:46

Terribly sad news. 

Nov 20, 2023, 20:58

RIP

Nov 21, 2023, 05:31

,.Hannes Strydom during the 1995 Rugby World Cup semifinal win over France. Photo / Getty

Nov 21, 2023, 06:52

Just white another person killed by the stupidity of an African.

I've had many close calls with them driving on the wrong side of the road, on the shoulder, skipping lights, parking on slipways. If you take a ten minute drive anywhere in JHB you'll like see at least 10 incidents of a taxi breaking the rules of the road.

There are two options here. They are either extremely dumb or massive bastards. When you talk to them you see that they aren't all bad guys. They're just really really stupid. Literally don't have the mental capacity to understand what could happen when they break certain road rules.

I'm becoming massively racist. Not through nature...but rather through witnessing, daily, how these people destroy literally everything they get there thieving, corrupt and stupid hands on.

This continent deserves to starve.

Nov 21, 2023, 07:21

R.I.P. Hannes. A real tragedy. The 1995 Bok squad seems to be cursed with 5 gone already at young ages. The ABs have of course lost Jonah from their ranks.

 
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