Senzo Meyiwa's family could receive only half of his insurance payout, with the other half going to his club Orlando Pirates, according to the SA Football Players Association which is familiar with the Premier Soccer League insurance scheme.
The PSL confirmed this week that it had received an insurance payout for Meyiwa, who was killed last October. And, after complaining that they had learnt from the media about the payout, Meyiwa's family may be in for another surprise as they are set to receive only half of it.
"One of the things we are fighting as a union is the insurance policy of the PSL, which pays half of the dividends to the club," Safpu general secretary Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe said.
"We would love to see the PSL paying all the money to the family of a player if he's deceased. In case he's declared unfit to play, he should also receive all his money."
The PSL has confirmed that all its registered players, in the National First Division and Premier League, enjoy insurance cover for death or permanent injury.
"We cannot get into the details because this is confidential information," PSL senior official Ronnie Schloss said when asked about the terms of the insurance cover.
While the PSL would not disclose how much Meyiwa's family would get, Safpu said the league's insurance policy pays out a player's monthly salary multiplied by 60 months.
But there's a R4-million cap on the payout.
"This is a league where players still get R6000 per month. So if such a player is declared incapable of playing anymore, his payout is a mere R360000, but half of that goes to his club. How can a player survive on such a meagre amount?" Gaoshubelwe asked.
He cited the example of Kopano Sekgobela, who was left paralysed following an accident after a match for his club Polokwane City in 2012.
"Sekgobela got just over R100000, the rest of the money went to his club. That can't be right. This is why we want to continue the fight for a living wage in our league. We believe players in the Premier League should be getting R25000 per month; in the NFD it should be R18000."
