SuperSport United striker Thamsanqa Gabuza revealed to his teammates after the MTN8 final victory over Highlands Park that his son passed away Monday previous.

Gabuza’s son passed away on Monday, but Gabuza did not want to unsettle the camp prior to the big match and kept the information to himself.

Despite this burden, the former Orlando Pirates striker produced a man-of-the-match performance in the 1-0 win and Kaitano Tembo was full of praise for the way in which Gabuza had approached the matter.

“I heard after the game just now, concerning Gabuza, and its something which he did but I didn’t even expect or encourage him to do that,” said Tembo.

“I think he did what he did for the badge, and this is what happened: He lost his son on Monday and he never told anyone, and the funeral was on Thursday but he never attended because he only told us in the dressing room now.

“He didn’t want to upset the camp because we were facing a very crucial game, and for me it just killed everything.

“I see someone who’s really committed; someone who a lot of players can learn from. He’s had to go through that and still play the way he played – a man of the match performance – and I dedicate this win and this cup to him.

“That’s the only sad part and it’s already starting to hit me that someone can do that and still play for the team, doing it for me – I appreciate that but at the same time I’m also hurting.”