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Kaizer Chiefs legend and popular SABC analyst, Siphiwe Mkhonza, died at the age of 44 on Tuesday morning.

The family of the former defender confirmed the news, revealing that he had been suffering from a kidney infection.

“He was admitted at Charlotte Maxeke (hospital) a month ago and was released after showing signs of recovery,” the family said in a statement.

“Mkhonza has been taken care off by his girlfriend and the mother of his three children Ms Nondumiso Masengemi at their home in Roodepoort. The family wishes to thank his former employer and his colleagues at SABC, fellow football legends from the stable he belonged to and friends for their support during his illness.”

Mkhonza, who as born in Kwa-Thema in Springs, started his professional career at Bloemfontein Celtic.

He also played for Ria Stars and Golden Arrows before getting his big break at Chiefs in 2004.

He won every domestic trophy on offer in his three years at the club, which paved his way to Bafana Bafana where he earned a handful of caps.

He joined an illustrious list of father-son duos to have played for Chiefs. His father Joseph Mkhonza also played for Amakhosi before going on to coach Banyana Banyana and led them to their first Olympics appearance.

“We are devastated as a family and we are in shock,” Mkhonza senior told the South African Football Association (SAFA).

“We were looking forward to so much from him and we thought he would recover. I am at a loss for words.”

The younger Mkhonza later moved to SuperSport United, Maritzburg United, AmaZulu and then ended his career at Black Leopards. Upon hanging up his boots, he had a stellar career as an analyst at the public broadcaster.

He was nicknamed Dr Mnandi for the humour he injected in his commentary, praising skilful approaches as “ushukela”.

“He played for several teams, among them Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu, Bloemfontein Celtic and also turned out for Bafana Bafana. After hanging up his boots he went into broadcasting and cut a niche for himself with his humour, incisive and thorough analysis. This is a sad day for South African football. May his soul Rest in Peace,” said SAFA president Danny Jordaan.

Mkhonza is survived by his children, his father, mother Phindile Mkhonza, and his brother.