Cape Town - The Proteas, through the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), have donated R50 000 to Eastern Province cricketer Solo Nqweni. 

In July 2019, whilst playing club cricket in Scotland, Nqweni was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre, a rare but serious auto-immune disorder whereby the immune system attacks the nervous system.

After five months in intensive care at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary hospital, Solo returned home in January to undergo rehabilitation in Johannesburg. 

The cost of rehabilitation is significant and various fund-raising initiatives have been launched to assist him. 

"Through the good and difficult times, players always stand together and this is no different. The decision to stand by Solo, as part of the cricket family was an easy one to make," commented Proteas Test captain, Faf du Plessis. 

"On behalf of the Proteas, we would like to wish Solo all the best with his rehabilitation and we hope to see him on the field in the future," added Quinton de Kock, Proteas ODI captain.

SACA CEO Andrew Breetzke thanked the sponsors for their contributions. 

"We would like to thank Momentum Health, Aberdeenshire Cricket club, the Proteas cricketers and everyone that has offered their support to Solo and his family through this challenging time," said Breetzke.

"We would also like to acknowledge the work of Rob Humphries (Solo’s agent) and JP van Wyk (SACA Player Services Manager) in assisting Solo over the past seven months.  

"SACA remains committed to continuing our support of Solo going forward."

- SACA media