Durban - All political parties will participate in the events commemorating former president Nelson Mandela, KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu said on Monday.
Mchunu said he had met the leaders of the province's major parties in the legislature, and the National Freedom Front.
“They all emphasised the need for us to build a united front around everything that we are doing for Madiba,” he said.
All party leaders had given their blessing for the memorial service to be held at the Moses Mabhida stadium on Friday.
He said that while it could not be refuted that Mandela was a member of the African National Congress, the memorial would not become a political rally.
“It's not a rally. We are emphasising dignity. We are emphasising unity.”
Mchunu said he wanted to warn people who wanted to attend Mandela's funeral in Qunu that they should not “expect front seats”.
He said there would not be any attempt to stop people from going to Qunu for the official funeral.
“This is a funeral of an international icon. You can't just ban people from attending.”
Sapa