MARITZBURG United team manager Quinton Jettoo said they have already met Mondli Cele’s family and they will take the lead from them in terms of funeral arrangements.
Cele and SABC sports journalist Delisile Ngwenya died when Cele lost control of the vehicle he was driving in the early hours of Sunday and plunged into the Msunduzi River in Pietermaritzburg.
The two other occupants in the vehicle were injured and taken to hospital.
"They have already gone to the mortuary and they will be having a family meeting to decide the next step forward. We will be getting advice from them with regards to the funeral and when it will be held tomorrow (Monday)‚" Jettoo said.
Former Maritzburg United head coach and current Golden Arrows assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi said he would remember Cele as a shy person but a very confident player who had a deep belief in his own abilities.
Cele played a key role in Maritzburg United’s surge to their historic top-eight finish with teams not being able to cope with his pace and intelligence.
The 27-year-old from Gamalakhe‚ on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast‚ earned a Bafana Bafana call-up because of his industrious performances last season. Ncikazi was at the Maritzburg United-Orlando Pirates league clash on Saturday evening at the Harry Gwala Stadium‚ where Cele scored the first of three goals in a pulsating three-all draw.
"He was a very humble person who had a quiet confidence about himself and how he went about his business. He had this confidence about how he played that was uncommon and we were happy that it worked out for us but he always knew what he wanted‚" Ncikazi said.
"When Maritzburg got into the top eight‚ he was one of the hardest-working players who top most of our statistics. He seemed to save his best for Orlando Pirates and I remember he had a hand in one of the goals Maritzburg scored when they beat Pirates. Maybe it was fitting that he scored against them on Saturday."
Sunday’s Premier Soccer League game had a moment of silence for Cele and a decision on whether Maritzburg’s KwaZulu-Natal derby date against Golden Arrows will take place on Saturday will be made during the week.