One of the most respected football legends in Vhembe, Humbulani “Anglo” Mudau (42), was buried at Matangari village, outside Thohoyandou, on Saturday. He was an educator at St Augustine School, where he taught for five years.

He recently passed away after a battle with an unidentified illness.

The news of his death sent shockwaves through the community he served so well throughout his life.

Mudau has left a void in the soccer fraternity after he made a name for himself as one of the best players Matangari High Aims had ever produced. Soccer fanatics will remember him for his dribbling skills which made him an instant hero during his heyday. On the field, he formed an excellent combination with former players like Samora Mufamadi and Killer Netshithuthuni in the eighties.

Although it was raining heavily on Saturday, many people braved the showers and gathered to pay their last respects to him. Soccer songs, especially those composed by fans of Matangari High Aims, substituted the usual gospel hymns as Mudau’s coffin was lowered to the earth at the Matangari-Tshiumoni graveyard.

Family representative Ndivhuwo Sivhidzho said the family was proud to have produced one of the most valuable members of the community. He said they acknowledged the role that Mudau played in uplifting the standard of soccer and education in the local community. “We are sad to lose someone like him but we know that God has taken him from us for a reason. It is painful to lose someone like him, but we have accepted what happened because it can never be changed.”

The principal of St Augustine Residential School, Mathew Zachariah, described Mudau as a community builder and educator who was larger than life. “He was always there whenever we needed him. He was a responsible educator who also worked hard in the development of sports in our school. Now that he is gone, we are afraid that no one will ever fill his shoes because he is irreplaceable. It is heroes like these who need to be acknowledged in public because their contributions in community development are eternal. We have suffered a terrible blow, but we thank God for bringing Mudau to this world. We will miss him dearly.”