What was meant to be a weekend of celebration turned into a tragedy for AmaZulu FC CEO, Sinenhlanhla "Sne" Zungu. Her husband, Bonginkosi Ntuli (32) died yesterday, a day meant for the last leg of their wedding, Umabo. The AmaZulu striker died after a short battle with cancer. The couple tied the knot on 9 September in a white wedding. The Ntuli and Zungu families had penned the first weekend of November for Umabo (the traditional wedding of presenting gifts). The Ntuli family was going to accept Sinenhlanhla officially as their bride during the ceremony. Zimoja can reveal that Ntuli was gearing up for Umabo when he was rushed to the hospital on Thursday afternoon after complaining about pains.

According to a source close to both families, Ntuli had recovered from surgery he had last month when he was admitted to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, in Durban. The source says the couple was happy and excited with Ntuli doing well leading up to Umabo and excited about their big day until he fell sick on Thursday. "They had a beautiful day. They had just finished buying food and drinks for umabo, when Bongi started complaining of severe pain and he was rushed to the hospital," said the source. The source adds that Ntuli's family asked Sne if she wanted to continue with the ceremony because in Zulu culture, a wedding is never postponed. "She declined the offer citing that she would wait for her husband to get better. We all expected him to recover and be discharged. His death came as a shock to everyone," adds the source.

ZiMoja has learned that AmaZulu players have not been coping since they heard about Ntuli's death. The source said when AmaZulu played against city rivals, Lamontville Golden Arrows on Saturday afternoon during the Carling Knockout Cup, Usuthu players wanted to win the match for Ntuli after they heard that he had been admitted to hospital. Today, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced that a moment of silence will be observed in Ntuli's honour at this week's DStv Premiership, Motsepe Foundation Championship, and DStv Diski Challenge fixtures.