Oshwin Andries

Oshwin Andries (24 February 2003 – 4 February 2023) was a South African footballer who played as a defender or midfielder in the South African Premier Division for Stellenbosch.

Club career Andries played for local youth sides Maties Academy and Gleneagles, before joining professional team Stellenbosch in 2018. He progressed through the academy, notably winning the South African reserve competition, the DStv Diski Challenge, before going on to win the Premier League Next Gen Cup in England, scoring from the half-way line in a 7–2 win over Leicester City in the final.

Following an injury crisis at Stellenbosch during the 2022–23 season, Andries was drafted into the first team, featuring at centre-back in a 1–1 draw with Orlando Pirates, with his performance being described as "near perfect" by broadcaster SuperSport. He scored his first and only goal for the club three days later, in a 3–1 win over Royal AM; receiving the ball on the edge of his own area, he drove forward before passing to a teammate, receiving it back and scoring. In doing so, he became Stellenbosch's youngest ever goal-scorer in the South African top flight.

International career Andries represented South Africa at under-20 and under-23 level, captaining the former.

Death and subsequent investigation On 29 January 2023, Andries was having drinks at a bar in Klapmuts with four others, including his niece, Nadene Hartman, and his girlfriend, Ruché van Rooyen. According to Van Rooyen, after a man had bumped into her accidentally, Andries had jokingly asked him why he had done so.

Van Rooyen stated that the man returned later with a knife, and began stabbing multiple people before stabbing Andries repeatedly, with the footballer receiving wounds to his head and lower back.

The family of the alleged perpetrator reportedly fled their family home, with the sister of the alleged stating that they "lived in fear because people want to kill [her] brother", after a crowd of people had invaded their home on the night of the incident. In February 2024, a year after his death, the inaugural Andries Memorial Festival, an under-11 sports festival, was held.

In June 2024 a man was arrested on charges of attempted murder, as prosecutors decided Andries died as a result of medical complications, not the initial stab wounds. Following the arrest, Andries's mother stated that the accused should "rot in jail".

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