Masilela was shot on Wednesday night in an attempted hijacking in Tembisa and died later on in hospital, bringing to an end the life of a man who started off as a professional footballer before branching into music and acting.
“Dumi was always smiling and making jokes with all of us,” Ngoma says of his former teammate.
The 29-year-old was a midfield-cum-striker who played in the National First Division for three years in the colours of University of Pretoria and won five caps for the national Under-23 team after playing at the 2007 Sasol Eight Nations Under-23 tournament in Johannesburg and the 2007 All Africa Games finals in Algeria.
All his national team caps were won under Steve Komphela.
He started off with TUKS as a teenager during the 2005/06 season scoring five goals in eight starts (plus five substitute appearances).
The following season he set the NFD alight ending with 10 goals in all competitions which elevated him to joint top scorer along with George Maluleka.
Masilela started 33 games (plus one substitute appearance) in all competitions – the most by any player at the club that season – playing an influential role in helping TUKS reach the Mvela Platinum Play-Offs, which also featured AmaZulu and Winners Park. At that time he was just 18.
Following the great showing by Masilela and Maluleka, they were rewarded with moves to SuperSport United but they were both then loaned back to TUKS ahead of the start of the 2007/08 season.
Back at TUKS he started eight games then came on as a substitute in another seven, scoring one goal.
That TUKS team for that season (2007/08) had Warren Bishop, Andile Jali, Mthokozisi Yende, Maluleka, Manti Moholo, Clifford Mulenga, Aubrey Ngoma, Davies Nkausu, Njabulo Ntusi, Obert Moyo, Ayo Oluwafemi, Goodman Sauhatsi, Marc van Heerden, Masibusane Zongo and Phenyo Mongala.
On Tuesday, June 3, 2008 – just three days after his 20th birthday – he survived a horrific accident when the car he was travelling in was involved in a head-on collision with a truck.
Masilela suffered a double fracture in one leg in the thigh area and his car – a Peugeot 203 – was written off.
Following that accident he never returned with his football career ending when he was merely just 20.
His contract with SuperSport was also not renewed when it expired on June 30, 2010.
He then pursued a B.com in Marketing degree which he did through correspondence with UNISA then moved into the entertainment industry.
At the time of his death he played the role of street kid Sifiso Ngema in the e.tv soapie Rhythm City.
“You will not believe that this was one guy who was happy regardless of all the setbacks he had to deal with in football. He had a premature end to his career but was still able to remain the jovial person that he had always been. He always told us that God will open other doors for him which He did. I found him at TUKS and though he no longer played the game we stayed in touch. I still regard him as one of the most talented footballers that I have played with,” says Ngoma.