The funeral service for the late Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu will be held at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Ackerville, Emalahleni in Mpumalanga this morning.
Mthembu succumbed to COVID-19 related complications in hospital on Thursday. The service is scheduled to begin at 9am. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the eulogy.
Stringent COVID-19 restrictions will be followed at the funeral service. This means only 50 mourners will be allowed to attend the service.
Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize gives more insight into the legacy of Minister Jackson Mthembu:
Government has said that the funeral arrangements for Mthembu have been finalised. The official service will begin at 9am at the Roman Catholic Church near his home in Emalahleni and the procession will head to the Old Pretoria Road Cemetery where he will be laid to rest.
South Africans will be able to follow the funeral proceedings through a live broadcast on the SABC News channel, the SABC News website and YouTube channel.
Livestream of funeral below:
Call for South Africans to deepen the fight against COVID-19
African National Congress (ANC) Deputy Secretary-General Jesse Duarte has called on South Africans to deepen the fight against COVID-19 in memory of the late minister.
Speaking outside the Mthembu home in Ackerville Township Duarte called on citizens to protect and defend one another against the virus.
Meanwhile, Deputy President David Mabuza will pay tribute to him at his memorial service at the Government Communication and Information System Auditorium in Hatfield, Pretoria on Monday.
The memorial was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday but was postponed to Monday following consultations between the Presidency and the late Minister’s family.
Mthembu was vocal against corruption
ANC MP and Parliament’s Home Affairs Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Bongani Bongo, says the late Minister Mthembu was very vocal against corruption.
Bongo was paying his last respect at the Mthembu home.
Bongo, who is facing corruption charges, is challenging the ANC’s call for members accused of serious crimes to “step aside” from all leadership positions in the party, pending the finalisation of their cases.
He says he often debated and disagreed with Mthembu on the principle of stepping aside.
