Ramaphosa, Mbeki and Zuma to honour Robert Mugabe at KZN memorial service

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki will be addressing a memorial service for deceased former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe on Tuesday, at Durban City Hall. File picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/African News Agency(ANA)

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki will be addressing a memorial service for deceased former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe on Tuesday, at Durban City Hall. File picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Sep 16, 2019

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Durban - President Cyril Ramaphosa and former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki will be addressing memorial services for deceased former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in KwaZulu-Natal. 

Mbeki will be the guest speaker at Durban City Hall on Tuesday, where over 5000 guests are expected, according to the provincial ANC. 

Among the attendants would be representatives from the consulate for the Republic of Zimbabwe, senior national and provincial ANC leaders, cabinet ministers, religious and business leaders, academics as well as members of the public. Doors will open by 2pm and attendants are expected to be seated by 3pm. 

“It’s very important for us as the ANC to honour comrade Mugabe because he is a graduate of the ANC. He was part of the ANC Youth League detachment," said ANC KZN provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli.

"He was one of the students who were educated at Lovedale College as well as Fort Hare University. He is essentially part of us. He is not only a highly respected Pan-Africanist and a leader of the national democratic revolution but equally, he is seen by many of us in a way that we see president Nelson Mandela and president Oliver Tambo.

“He really played a significant role in the formation of the ANC Youth League. That’s why we felt it was appropriate for us to remember and honour him in this dignified manner,” said Ntuli.

The party said it was not yet confirmed when the memorials that Ramaphosa and Zuma were speaking at would take place. However, Ramaphosa would be speaking at the Moses Mabhida (Pietermaritzburg area) event and Zuma would be speaking at the Musa Dladla (Richards Bay area) memorial.

Mugabe died on September 6 in a Singapore hospital at the age of 95. He ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years before being forced to step aside in 2017. 

African News Agency (ANA)

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