“It is sad to lose one of us,” lamented Reneilwe 'Yeye' Letsholonyane upon receiving the news of the passing on of Maritzburg United player Mondli Cele. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss of a fellow colleague through a car accident.”

Cele was killed in a fatal car accident on Sunday morning. He had done well and scored for his side against Orlando Pirates on Saturday night in a match played at Pietermaritzburg’s Harry Gwala Stadium.

“We are losing too many athletes in car accidents, which is a cause for concern,” reflects Letsholonyane. “We must make safety on our roads a priority.”

Cele’s passing follows those of Ajax Cape Town’s Cecil Lolo and former Free State Stars’ Richard Henyekane, also both in car accidents.

“Words cannot describe our reaction when we received the sad news ahead of our match against Celtic on Sunday morning,” reveals ‘Yeye’.

“We got shocked and drew strength from the Almighty for granting us an opportunity to have shared the life and times with Cele, both on and off the field of play.”

“He was a fine gentleman of sports,” concludes a sobbing Letsholonyane. “On behalf of the Chiefs players, I wish to extend my deepest heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.”

Steve Komphela coached Cele at Maritzburg and he has passed his message of condolences: “I wish the Cele family to find strength during these difficult times. We will remember and miss Mondli.”

Chiefs Chairman Kaizer Motaung has expressed his shock and sadness at the loss. “On behalf of the Kaizer Chiefs Family in its entirety I wish to express my sadness and wish his family, friends and Maritzburg United Football Club strength during this sad moment.”

May Mondli’s departed soul rest in the eternal peace!