Pioneering African entrepreneur and anti-apartheid activist Dr Richard Maponya will be honoured with a special official funeral, as declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday.

Maponya passed away on Monday, at the age of 99, following a short illness.

Maponya will be buried on Tuesday, January 14 in Johannesburg and the national flag will fly at half-mast from Friday, January 10 until the evening of the burial.

Maponya was a founding member of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and was also chairperson of the African Chamber of Commerce.

“He actively sought to capacitate nascent black businesses and variously lent his support to entrepreneurship ventures, particularly in Soweto,” said the Presidency in a statement.

Ramaphosa expressed condolences to Maponya’s family, friends and colleagues and said “the Maponya name is a veritable institution in our public life, standing for excellence and inspiring generations of South Africans”.