Johannesburg - The African National Congress on Monday sent its condolences to the Motlanthe family following the death of the deputy president's mother.
“The ANC has learnt with sadness about the passing away of Mrs Masefako Sophia Motlanthe, the mother of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe,” spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
“The passing of Mrs Motlanthe, while not unexpected as she was of advanced age, is a loss not only to the Motlanthe family. It is a loss to the ANC family and indeed the entire South African society.”
She died of natural causes at her home in Meadowlands, Soweto, on Friday, aged 89.
A memorial service would be held on Thursday, and the funeral on Saturday.
She died a day before Motlanthe's wedding to long-term partner Gugu Mtshali in Houghton, Johannesburg.
The ANC wished the Motlanthe family strength.
“To the Motlanthe family we say: take solace from the knowledge that all South Africans share your pain and are with you as you prepare to lay to rest your beloved mother,” said Mthembu.
Sapa