Gqeberha family – Shuaib Ally, a 40-year-old married father and Crusaders Hockey Club member in Gqeberha, died after suffering a fatal heart attack hours after playing on Saturday morning. His family says he had mentioned he wasn’t feeling well, and his sister Sumayyah describe
Gqeberha woke on Saturday morning with the familiar rhythm of hockey—sticks on the ground, players gathering, Crusaders Hockey Club member Shuaib Ally stepping onto the field as he always did.
He was playing his favourite sport. He was there in person, in the presence of his family. And hours later, the game ended in tragedy, when Ally suffered a fatal heart attack.
Sumayyah, his sister, said the family is still in shock and disbelief. “We were three siblings of which Shuaib was the middle one. I am the youngest. We never expected this to happen.”
She said Ally had been married to Rayghaana for 19 years, and they had three sons. Their marriage, she said, was defined by rare closeness. “They weren’t only partners; their love outgrew this world. “Over and over they loved each other. They were woven together. “Their type of love is what most people pray for,” she said.
The morning itself is now etched in the family’s memory for one detail: Ally had mentioned he was not feeling well. “He took to the field on Saturday morning, unaware it would be the last game he would play,” the family’s account makes clear—one day that began like any other until it didn’t.
Ally was 40, and he died in the presence of his family. The uncertainty of those final hours—what was wrong, and why it turned so fast—hangs over everything the community is saying about him now.
Those who knew him through hockey describe a man who brought energy and warmth wherever he went. He was described as kind and loving, an exemplary son and the best father. Friends, colleagues and fellow sportsmen said they would remember him for his infectious laugh, broad smile and unwavering generosity.
His sister also stressed how central his faith was to his life. “He was patient, had lots of integrity and was the epitome of a true gentleman,” she said.
Ally grew up in Aspen Heights in the northern areas, where he first fell in love with hockey. Turning 40 did not slow him down on the field. Sumayyah said he loved playing hockey, watching hockey, and cheering from the sidelines, adding that two of his sons were following in his footsteps.
“It is strange — only when tragedy like this strikes do you gain wisdom and perspective,” she said. She described her brother as someone who cherished every moment. “My brother cherished every moment.”
Her message to people who are still walking through loss is direct: “My message to those who have lost a loved one is to take something that you admire about that person and make it part of your life, because the grief will never go away. “That might be the thing you need right now.”
Crusaders Hockey Club also paid tribute, describing Ally as a legend on and off the field. Club chair Ignatius Malgraff said Ally was an instrumental member and valued player, and that Ally had told him he didn’t feel very well on Saturday when he played his last game.
Club president Desiree Telfer said Ally would be dearly missed, calling him “a gentle giant” and adding that the players looked up to him.
Other hockey clubs also shared their condolences, but the family’s grief is focused on the same sharp point: a man who stepped onto the field on Saturday morning, still carrying his normal routines and responsibilities, and then never made it back.
For Sumayyah, the memories are already converging around the life he lived—made visible not only in his hockey, but in the way he saw people as equals and made the most of every moment. “I will always cherish our childhood in our parents’ home,” she said.
Shuaib Ally Gqeberha Crusaders Hockey Club hockey player death fatal heart attack Sumayyah Ally Rayghaana three sons