President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a Special Official Funeral Category 2 in honour of Joseph Shabalala, the late founder of choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Shabalala passed away on February 11 following an extended illness.
The Special Official Funeral Category 2 entails ceremonial elements provided by the South African Police Service.
The funeral will take place on Saturday February 22, 2020.
Ramaphosa has ordered that the National Flag be flown at half-mast at every flag station in the country until the evening of 22 February 2020.
Regulations require that no other flags should be displayed when the National Flag is flown at half-mast.
Ramaphosa has reiterated his sincerest condolences to the Shabalala family, members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and members of the arts and culture fraternities in South Africa and globally with whom Ladysmith Black Mambazo has collaborated for the better part of six decades.
In 2008, this world-renowned and widely awarded choral group received the National Order of Ikhamanga for putting South African cultural life on the world map through contributing to the field of South African indigenous music.
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