Ramaphosa, Mabuza to Bid Jackson Mthembu Farewell at State Funeral
- The nation is preparing to bid Minister Jackson Mthembu a fond farewell on Sunday
- The Official Funeral Category 1 ceremony will be attended by both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza
- Mthembu has been hailed as a man who contributed immensely to the liberation struggle in SA
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The late Minister in The Presidency Jackson Mthembu will be honoured with an Official Funeral Category 1 on Sunday.
Source: Getty Images
The event will be taking place at the Minister's Emalahleni home in Mpumalanga with the National Flag flown at half-mast at every station in the country until the evening of the funeral.
Both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza will be attending Mthembu's send-off:
"Deputy President David Mabuza will deliver a keynote tribute at a memorial event on Monday, 25 January 2021, in honour of the late Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu. More details will be announced in due course."
Ramaphosa himself will be delivering the eulogy at the funeral according to the Presidency:
"President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the eulogy at the funeral which will take place with strict adherence to the COVID-19 regulations pertaining to funerals and the prohibition on public gatherings."
Ramaphosa's office confirmed that the event was intended to take place on Saturday but had ultimately been delayed:
"The memorial event was originally planned for tomorrow, Saturday, 23 January, but has been postponed following consultation between The Presidency and the late Minister’s family."
The Presidency lauded the late Minister as a driving force behind the nation's liberation:
"Minister Mthembu contributed immensely to the liberation struggle as an anti-apartheid activist, student leader and unionist, for which he was subjected to harassment and detention by the apartheid security forces."
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that one of the five victims of the fatal Bergville KZN helicopter crash that took place on the 21 January 2021, Thursday this week, has been identified as a young and esteemed Joburg doctor, anaesthetist Dr Kgopotso Rudolph Monoyane.
The young doctor and four of his colleagues who have been identified as Dr Curnick Siyabonga Mahlangu, a cardiothoracic surgeon; Mpho Xaba, a specialist theatre nurse for cardiothoracic and transplant; Sinjin Joshua Farrance, an advanced life support paramedic at Netcare 911; and pilot Mark Stoxreiter who were responding to a call to pick up a critically ill patient in the KZN area when the crash occurred.
As the story unfolds, it has been discovered that Dr Monoyane and the rest of the crew were meant to leave hours early but were held back after Jackson Mthembu's health started deteriorating and Dr Monoyane was called to help another team of doctors save Mthembu's life.
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Source: Briefly News
