Legendary playwright Mbongeni Ngema will be laid to rest during a special provincial official funeral category 2 at the Durban International Convention Centre.
The funeral service was set to start at 10am with high-profile names in attendance.
The director, 68, was killed in a head-on car accident about two weeks prior while returning from a funeral in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.
The ‘Sarafina!’ writer was an outspoken advocate against apartheid and used his stage plays as a vehicle to reflect the resilience of black South Africans under the regime.
In honour of Ngema’s legacy, KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube expressed her gratitude to President Cyril Ramaphosa for granting the internationally acclaimed playwright, composer, director and theatre producer the special funeral.
A special provincial official funeral category 2 includes elements of police ceremonial honours, and is “reserved for distinguished persons specifically designated by the president of South Africa on request by the premier of a province”.
“We welcome the respect bestowed upon Dr Ngema by the president. This is indeed a befitting honour to Madlokovu, who worked tirelessly for many decades to put South Africa on the global pedestal through art,” said Dube-Ncube.
“Armed only with his creativity and theatre, he confronted the brutal apartheid regime, in the process conscientizing the world about the ruthless and dehumanizing nature of apartheid.
“Madlokovu used his vast networks abroad to focus the attention of the world to the suffering of our people in this country under apartheid. He pencilled an indelible mark on our journey towards freedom” she concluded.
IOL Entertainment