RUSTENBURG – Soccer legend Philemon ‘Chippa’ Masinga will be given a special provincial official funeral, the North West government said on Sunday.
“The North West provincial government has been granted permission by President Cyril Ramaphosa to give the late Bafana Bafana forward Philemon ‘Chippa’ Masinga a special provincial official funeral category two,” spokesperson Vuyisile Ngesi said.
A special provincial official funeral category two is reserved for distinguished persons specifically designated by the president upon request by a premier of a province.
A memorial service for Masinga has been planned for Monday in Pimville, Soweto in Johannesburg.
A second memorial service will be held in Khuma at Stilfontein, near Klerksdorp on Tuesday, and he will be buried in Khuma on Thursday.
Born Philemon Raul Masinga on June 28, 1969 in Khuma, the former Bafana Bafana striker died on January 13 at a hospital in Johannesburg. He was 49.
He was admitted to Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp last month before being transferred to Johannesburg.
Masinga represented South Africa in 58 international games, scoring 18 goals.
He played for English club Leeds United and moved to St Gallen in Switzerland in 1996, after which followed spells in Italy with Salernitana and Bari, among others.
He will be remembered fondly for scoring the decisive goal that took South Africa to the 1998 Soccer World Cup in France.