Former Mamelodi Sundowns winger Lebohang 'Cheeseboy' Mokoena has shared a remarkable story from his time at the club, detailing how ex-teammate Punch Masenamela faked his own kidnapping to extort money. The bizarre incident saw Masenamela, a left-back who joined Sundowns in 2011, allegedly contact club president Patrice Motsepe demanding a R1 million ransom.
Mokoena recounted the events during an appearance on Soccerbeat. "We were training in the week preparing for the weekend's game and Friday, when we arrived at camp, calls came in and we were told Punch Masenamela had been kidnapped," he said. The former winger explained that Masenamela himself made the call to Motsepe. "Punch called and told the president [Patrice Motsepe] that he had been kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom."
The club traced the call and found Masenamela alone at a lodge in the Vaal, with no kidnappers present. When he returned to the squad, senior players confronted him with a symbolic briefcase. They presented it as a joke, saying it contained the million rand he had asked for, and made it clear such an act should never be repeated. Masenamela spent three seasons with Sundowns before leaving in 2014.
This strange chapter resurfaced as the current Sundowns squad continues a strong domestic campaign. The team sits first in the Premier Soccer League with 20 points from eight games, holding a seven-point lead. The latest result was a 1-1 draw with Chippa United, where Antonio Van Wyk scored a 95th-minute equaliser. Fans can see the full schedule ahead on our fixtures list. The story serves as a peculiar footnote for a club now focused on maintaining its position at the summit of South African football.
The report in full is at Briefly News
