ANC leaders, past and present, sat side by side to honour the late minister.
Environmental Affairs ministers Edna Molewa died in a Pretoria hospital two weeks ago at the age of 61 and was officially laid to rest at the Zandfontein cemetery in Pretoria West today after a funeral service was held at the Tshwane Events Centre.
Deputy Health Minister Gwen Ramokgopa served as programme director during the ceremony where ANC leaders, past and present, sat front and centre to honour mme Molewa.
ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini and Dipuo Peters kicked off the day’s speeches after a prayer and hymn from Father Amos Masemola and a performance from Rebecca Malope
This was followed by a speech by president Cyril Ramaphosa in which he commended Molewa for the work she did during her time in office and listed a number of Molwea’s achievements, including the fact that South Africa became the only nation with a predominantly female force equipped to fight environmental fires.
Ramaphosa went on to suggest that she should receive a posthumous Nobel Prize for the work she did in an effort to save South Africa’s rhino population from extinction.
#EdnaMolewa had courage: Ramaphosa #EdnaMolewaFuneral #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/pAlRpWbv0W
— SABC News Online (@SABCNewsOnline) October 6, 2018
He also stated that as per her final wishes, she was being buried in an eco-friendly coffin which she hoped would become the standard in burials across the country.
"Minister Molewa was a walking library of biological conservation " Pres Ramaphosa on #EdnaMolewa
— Erica Mathye (@EriMathye) October 6, 2018
#EdnaMolewaFuneral#EdnaMolewa’s son, Basiame Sethema pays tribute.
[Video via SABC] pic.twitter.com/Plqi8QhJl4
— ANCLimpopo (@ANCLimpopo) October 6, 2018
Molewa’s children and grandchildren took to the stage to share a few words in memory of their mother and grandmother but it was her grandson’s reaction to president Cyril Ramaphosa’s presence that had the entire venue in stitches.
my mom would have slapped the model c accent out my mouth if i referred to an elder by his first name???? https://t.co/0NpFquxbHc
— Mayihlome (@MTshwete) October 6, 2018
Following the funeral service, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma took to the podium to list which categories of mourners could make their way to the cemetery as not everyone could be accommodated at the cemetery and funeral home due to a lack of space.
Source: eNCA
