President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a Special Official Funeral Category 1 for Rivonia Trialist and Isithwalandwe/ Seaparankwe Andrew Mokete Mlangeni.

Mlangeni passed away on Wednesday at the age of 95, following an abdominal complaint.

President Ramaphosa participated in Mlangeni’s birthday celebration last month in the company of, among other notable guests, President Thabo Mbeki, President Kgalema Motlanthe and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

Mlangeni was awarded Isithwalandwe/Seaparankwe, the highest honour by the African National Congress for those who have made an outstanding contribution to the liberation struggle in 1992 and received the Presidential Order for Meritorious Service: Class 1: Gold from then-President Nelson Mandela in 1999.

“ In terms of the Presidential declaration, the National Flag will fly at half-mast from the morning of Friday, 24 July 2020 until the evening of Wednesday, 29 July 2020, the day on which Bab’ Mlangeni will be laid to rest,” a statement from the Presidency outlines.

President Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the Mlangeni family as well as the friends, comrades and associates.

Tributes to Mlangeni

 Minister of Human Settlement Lindiwe Sisulu paid tribute to Mlangeni when she addressed a National Assembly Mini Plenary. She said removing corruption from every corner of government is one of the ideals that should be followed to honour the struggle icon.

“ In the last days of his life he was asked what he would wish for and he asked for nothing more than that he should be remembered as one of those that brought our democracy. This humility should make us responsible for ensuring that we carry through all that he fought for. We have a responsibility to live up to the ideals that he fought for. Ideals of  integrity, ideals of intolerance, corruption, we must ensure that we live up to what he sacrificed for and remove corruption from every corner of this government.”

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald says Mlangeni had respect for different views. Groenewald is one of the MPs who had served with Mlangeni in different portfolio committees of the National Assembly.

He has extended condolences to the Mlangeni family.

Groenewald shares some of his experiences with Mlangeni as a committee member, “Andrew and I served together for almost a decade on the Portfolio Committee of Defence in the National Assembly. I remember Andrew as a person who treated everyone with respect. He always greeted people in a friendly manner and he also had respect for different views on a specific subject. I can remember that in the portfolio committee when I made certain proposals, some of the ANC members in the committee did not approve of it, but then he would intervene and will explain but there is merit in my proposal and then the ANC members would accept my proposal.”

The life and times of Andrew Mlangeni: