Former Ghana defender John Pantsil has paid emotional tribute to late Maritzburg United midfielder, Mondli Cele.

Cele was killed, along with SABC journalist Delisile Ngwenya, when the car he was driving rolled down an embankment on Park Drive in Pietermaritzburg and into the Duzi River last week.

A funeral service has been held at the Folweni sports ground, South of Durban for the departed midfielder with players and officials paying emotional tribute.

“Monday Cele may your soul rest in perfect peace as you can see your brother is here, we are all here to say goodbye to you. We do appreciate all the time, all the years all the moments we spent with you in the team," Pantsil said

"Since Sunday, we have been down and broken hearted. We are not up to ourselves like you know. We miss you.

"He was a great human being a person that thought about his family, a person that did not forget where he come from."