Former Bafana Bafana star Steve Lekoelea was arrested on Tuesday for fraud and theft during a roadblock in Orange Farm. He had been found in possession of a white Polo that had been reported stolen.
Police spokesperson Captain Johannes Motsiri said the former footballer told police he was unaware that the Polo had been hijacked.
Lekoelea appeared briefly at the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where the charges against him were dropped.
Mahlangu took to Instagram to express is disdain, saying: “People who have not achieved anything in life always have something to say about those who’ve made their name,” he was quoted saying in a Kick Off report.
“People, stop talking nonsense about others and show us your achievements. I’m talking about Steve Lekoelea – news that he was arrested yesterday. I saw some people’s comments on Kick Off – that’s not cool at all.”
Scathing in his rebuke, he told his followers to show restraint in their judgement of Lekoelea.
“Some people did the same to me, and look at me now. I’ve managed to change my life. That should be a lesson to everyone NOT TO JUDGE OTHERS #getalife,” he wrote.
According to The Star, Lekoelea was caught driving a car that had been reported stolen in November last year. The vehicle was registered in the name of a 28-year-old man from Bloemfontein and had been fitted with a Free State number plate at the time of the theft.
But when Lekoelea was arrested on Tuesday, police found that the car had been fitted with Gauteng number plates.