Former President Thabo Mbeki has described the late South African artist, David Koloane, as an outstanding artist and a loyal fighter for the liberation of South Africa.
The Alexandra-born multi-award winner, died in his Parktown home in Johannesburg on Sunday at the age of 81.
Koloane was an acclaimed painter whose work has featured in the world’s greatest collections. He co-founded the first black arts gallery and was deeply respected as a cultural activist.
Mbeki was speaking at his funeral service at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in the Johannesburg CBD.
“We mourn the death of not only an outstanding artist, but a very loyal fighter for the liberation of our people. We say farewell to him and may he rest in peace… and hopefully the younger artists who follow in his footsteps would take the necessary and right lessons from the life of David Koloane. He never ever saw himself who somebody who needed to claim fame for himself, but someone who would use his enormous talent to tell a story about our people and to visualise a day when our people would be free and happy.
