The former Chippa United striker was instrumental in leading the club to automatic promotion, but uncertainty now surrounds the club and its players.
The PSL is set to make a ruling over the proposed sale this week after almost two months since AmaZulu agreed in principle with Thanda's chairman Pierre Delvaux.
The PSL confirmed that a few documents from both the seller and the buyer were still outstanding.
Cele says it’s unfortunate that the fans who packed the Richards Bay Sports Complex last season may now be without a team to support in the area. He also said the players should have been informed earlier about the sale.
“This [sale] has knocked me hard and it would have been better if our chairman informed us early,” Cele tells snl24.com/kickoff.
“I feel more sorry for the fans in Richards Bay because their support got us to another gear. I used to meet some of them in the city centre and they would say 'you guys are close to the finish line',” he adds.
“We were responding to that but at the end our boss has decided to do this and he's not thinking about all the fans who were packing the venue.
“There were a lot of people in this region who were going to benefit [from Thanda being in the PSL]. I'm talking about the mothers who don't have jobs and this was going to be an opportunity for them to sell at the stadium.”
AmaZulu are apparently working tirelessly behind the scenes to meet the PSL's requirements for the sale to go through.
Usuthu are apparently keen to keep Thanda players Sduduzo Dlamini and midfielder Jabulani Ncobeni and a few others who are yet to be named.
Cele, meanwhile, remains in the dark about his future, but has ruled out playing in the NFD again next season.
“The issue is I still have a contract with Thanda and I can't jump even if there's a club interested in me,” he says.
“If AmaZulu table a good offer I will consider it because I don't see myself playing in the NFD again. But other guys from the club like Dlamini have started training with AmaZulu, as well as Ncobeni and Siyabonga Mbatha, but we'll wait and see.”