President Jacob Zuma has declared a Provincial Official Funeral for Mr Nelson Diale, a stalwart of the liberation struggle, a former Member of Parliament and a recipient of the National Order of Luthuli, at the request of Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha.
Ntate Diale was a courageous freedom fighter who sacrificed a great deal of his life to the liberation struggle, fighting for freedom of the oppressed and equal opportunities for all.
The President has ordered that the National Flag be flown at half-mast in the Limpopo province on Sunday 18 January 2015, the day of the funeral.
The Limpopo province lost two key leaders in the past week. The MEC for Education, Ms Thembisile Nwendamutshwu also passed away on the 9th of January 2015, and by virtue of being an MEC, will be accorded a Provincial Official Funeral.
More details on the funerals will be released by the Limpopo Provincial Government.
There are three main types of funerals in South Africa's Funeral Policy. These are the State Funeral, Official Funeral and Provincial Official Funeral.
The State Funeral is divided into two categories:
- State Funeral Category 1 is reserved for the President of the Republic of South Africa, the President-elect of the Republic of South Africa and former Presidents of the Republic of South Africa.
- State Funeral Category 2 is for the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa; Acting President of the Republic of South Africa and former/Deputy Presidents of the Republic of South Africa
The Official Funeral is also divided into two categories:
- Official Funeral Category 1 is for serving Ministers, Speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Premiers of provinces, distinguished persons specifically designated by the President of the Republic of South Africa.
- Official Funeral Category 2 is for the spouse of a serving President, the spouse of a serving Deputy President, Deputy Ministers, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Permanent Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa and the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal
The Provincial Official Funeral is divided into a Provincial Official Funeral Category 1 which is for the Speaker of the Legislature and Members of the Executive Committee. The Provincial Funeral Category 2 is accorded to the Deputy Speaker of the Legislature.
Distinguished persons can be granted a special Provincial Official Funeral Category. The Premier of a province sends a request to the President for consideration if they feel a resident of the province deserves such recognition.
Enquiries:
Mac Maharaj
Cell: 079 879 3203
Email: macmaharaj@icloud.com
