A dark cloud of mourning hung all over Dzwerani village, near Vuwani, during the emotional funeral service of the late Thulamela municipal traffic cop, Ndikundisani Charles Mulandana (29), who shot himself with his service pistol last week. The well-attended function, which fits the burial of a prominent statesman, took place on Saturday.

Life came to a standstill as thousands of mourners, including traffic officials, representatives of the Thulamela Municipality, politicians and members of the local community, braved the cold weather to give Mulandana his last respect.

Earlier during the week, Pastor Mazwell Masakona of the Calvary Christian Church told friends and family members of the deceased in a packed Thohoyandou Town Hall that Mulandana should never be forgotten. He said people should never forget the good things he did while he was still alive. "Not all the people who commit suicide are fools. Some are very intelligent and bright like Ndikundisani Charles Mulandana, but they are forced by the circumstances in which they find themselves. We must not judge him, because we do not know what he whispered to his God in his last breath."

Masakona said people must learn to cope with pain and mourn whenever they have dark clouds hanging over them. "Like what happened in the Mulandana family, pain does not come with choice. When you feel pain, you must cry to avoid internal bleeding, otherwise the pain will backfire. There is no other way of coping with pain except to weep. Mulandana’s name must live forever, regardless of how his death came because death comes in different ways."

During the funeral, the manager of the traffic division at the Thulamela Municipality, Mr Thilivhali Mulaudzi, said there was nothing more painful than losing a role player and team member like Mulandana. "We used to call him Jabu because he was always happy. He did his work diligently and we thank God for giving us a wonderful gift in him. Our morale is very low but we have learnt to accept this situation because we cannot change it. Mulandana is irreplaceable and our hearts are bleeding for losing him."

Mourners wailed, mourned and cried uncontrollably as the coffin containing Mulandana’s remains was lowered to the cold earth, while traffic police sirens were the order of the day.

Ndikundisani Charles Mulandana was born on March 30, 1978, at Dzwerani. He matriculated at Ndaedzo High School in 1997. He went to Lyceum College in 1998 where he did a Diploma in Institute of Traffic and Municipal Police Officer of South Africa (ITPO). In 1999, he was employed by the Johannesburg Metro Police as a Reserve Traffic Warden. He was formally employed by the Johannesburg Metro Police in 2002 where he received further training at Johannesburg Metro Police Academy. He worked in different sections at the Johannesburg Metro Police. He was employed by the Thulamela Municipality in 2003, until his death. He is survived by a son, Kingsley, his parents, three brothers and a sister.