Mbeki to get special official funeral

Former president Thabo Mbeki's mother, Epainette, will get a special official funeral this weekend, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said.

"President Jacob Zuma has designated the funeral of [the] liberation struggle veteran... as a special provincial official funeral," he said in a statement on Monday (09/06/2014).

"The honour is reserved for distinguished South African citizens who have made a meaningful contribution to the country."

The funeral will take place in Dutywa, Eastern Cape, on Saturday.

Radebe said Zuma authorised the national flag to be flown at half-mast at every flag station in the province on Saturday.

Mbeki, 98, wife of anti-apartheid icon Govan Mbeki, died in East London on Saturday.

"The president and the entire government acknowledge the immense contribution made by this stalwart in ensuring that the apartheid system that was characterised by so many injustices was dismantled," Radebe said.

"As South Africans, we are grateful for that and continue to pay tribute to this struggle veteran whose credentials are well documented. It is therefore befitting that she gets a dignified funeral." - Sapa