President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the eulogy at the funeral of the country’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, in Kwa-Mbonambi, outside Durban, on Sunday.
Mthethwa has been accorded a Special Official Funeral Category 2. It includes the South African Police Service’s performance of ceremonial elements.
Mthethwa was found dead in a Paris hotel’s inner courtyard after falling from the 22nd floor more than a week ago.
The late Ambassador’s remains arrived in the province on Friday afternoon.
The African National Congress (ANC)’s national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri has described the arrival of Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa’s remains at the Durban airport as a very painful experience.
In Durban, a short ceremony was held by ANC leaders outside the airport terminal. Mthethwa’s casket was draped in an ANC flag.
Bhengu-Mostiri says they are still processing his sudden death. “This afternoon we were welcoming Nathi’s remains. It was the most painful experience that I would not wish on anyone. The family and the elders have returned from France to fetch him, seeing his coffin and the family, what happened is very painful.”
