SA Striker Slams PSL Club After Career Threatening Injury

South Africa international forward Jemondre Dickens calls for help as he struggles to cover the medical bills following a career-threatening injury before his contract with Chippa United ended.

Dickens’ career was on an upward trajectory, with the highlight of him scoring in the 2018/19 Telkom Knockout final when Baroka beat Orlando Pirates. He also represented Bafana Bafana at the 2019 COSAFA Cup before signing with the Chillie Boys in August 2021.

However, his nightmares started when he sustained the serious injury in December that year in a 3-1 defeat to TS Galaxy, which left then-coach Kurt Lentjies in tears as his player was stretchered off the pitch.

The 25-year-old subsequently needed surgery, which was only conducted in February 2022 (three months after the injury) in Gqeberha after two previous appointments for earlier surgeries were cancelled by the club.

His Chippa contract ended in June in 2022, in the middle of his recovery phase, and upon little help from the club, he moved back home in Cape Town.

According to Dickens he had two follow up appointments with the surgeon, who is based in Gqeberha, one which was in February 2023.

He says the doctor gave him the green light that the wires can come off but the fee for the procedure costs approximately R50 000, admitting he doesn’t have that kind of money since he hasn’t worked or earned a salary in two years and he doesn’t know who to call on.   

“Approximately R50 000 you see and it’s a private Doctor there in PE. Now you see I have to fly there again. I don’t even know how or if I can do it somewhere but it’s obviously going to cost money. Everything is going to cost money,” Dickens told iDiski Times.

“My agent is useless. I don’t know who to call and it’s actually a Cape Town Spurs supporter who started the online petition to help me.

“He is fond me and he said ‘look, I’m going to try and help you we will do a fund-raiser’. Before the fund-raiser I wanted to go to the newspapers so that people can see I’m still here. No one is helping me, it’s like everyone has forgotten about me.

“The doctor said I can still play but he must remove the wires and he can only remove the wires, if the money is there. I’ll try my very best to get back in the game because wow it has been long. It has been two years without any football.”

Dickens adds that Chippa had no obligation to continue assisting him after his contract ended but he felt it is heartless of the club to not even check in on him.

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“They are so heartless, let me put it like that. They are so heartless,” he added.

“Call me and ask me how I am doing or when is my next appointment, nothing. I had to tell them I went to the appointment and here are the receipts.

“They just left me and I had to do everything with a physio but we didn’t have any agreement. Let me put it like this, the agreement was that they will only help me until my contract finishes.”

If you’d like to help Dickens follow the following link. You can donate, big or small, via the backabuddy page.

Story by Lethabo Kganyago (@KganyagoLee).