The death of a well-known spiritual leader, Bishop Shandukani Elijah Tshindane (60) of the Israel Apostolic Church in Zion, has saddened people countrywide. Bishop Tshindane succumbed to a short illness at the Polokwane MediClinic last Wednesday, 6 April.

After completing matric at Mphephu High School, Tshindane went to Mangosuthu Technicon in Durban, where he studied for a diploma in Business Management.

Born at Thononda village on 02 June 1956, Bishop Tshindane was not an ordinary religious leader, but a real community leader. He was the first chairperson of the Thononda branch of the South African National Civics Organization (Sanco). He was one of the advisers to the local traditional leader.

Before he was ordained as a bishop in 2008, Tshidane was actively involved in football. He started playing football in 1980. At that stage he was the captain of a local team, Thononda All Stars. He migrated to Lutomboni Fire Boys in 1985, where he served as player-coach for several years before he became the team’s head coach.

When Lutomboni Fire Boys sold their status to M& R Remember Fire Boys in 2002, Tshindane refused to leave football. He was one of the founder members of Lutomboni Junior Fire Boys. He led Junior Fire Boys to numerous successes, including winning the Magwaba Soccer League championship in 2007.

When his father, Bishop Manzini Tshindane, passed away, he took over as the new bishop in 2008. Although he resigned as coach after he was ordained as bishop, Tshindane continued to assist local football teams financially, saying it was part of his social responsibility as a religious leader.

Bishop Tshindane was a public servant at the time of his death. He was an Assistant Director in the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs.

He will be buried at Lutomboni village cemetery tomorrow morning.