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Ladies and gentlemen of the media

And our fellow citizens following the proceedings on social media platforms

Welcome to this media briefing, where we want to give an update on preparations for the Provincial Official funeral of our dearly departed Deputy Speaker of the KZN Legislature, Mr Mluleki Ndobe who perished on Friday last week.

We would like to start by expressing our sincere gratitude to the people of South Africa and indeed those beyond our borders for their messages of comfort of the passing of Mr Ndobe.

The messages are well received and have all correctly described Mr Ndobe as the gentle giant with impeccable and versatile leadership qualities he was.

The heartfelt grief from nearly all conceivable quarters highlighted the indelible mark that Mr Ndobe left in different spheres in which he served, including the Legislative arm of government where he served as the Deputy Speaker of KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, the ruling party - the African National Congress (ANC) where he served in all structures, including the Provincial Executive and the Provincial Working committees. 

Of course, he also served as the Coordinator for the eThekwini Region's Regional Task Team.

People who worked with Cde Ndobe in the local sphere of government when he was a local councillor, mayor of Harry Gwala District Municipality as well as the provincial Chairperson of SALGA were equally left spellbound by his leadership acumen.

With their hearts heavy with grief, thousands of people from all walks of life have in the past six days flocked to Mr Ndobe’s home in Umzimkhulu Municipality to pay their last respects.

We appreciate these demonstrations of humanity and solidarity, more so because our people have done it while stringently obeying lockdown level 1 regulations designed to decelerate the spread of the deadly corona virus.

As we may be all aware, yesterday President Cyril Ramaphosa granted Mr Ndobe a provincial official funeral category two as announced by KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Honourable Sihle Zikalala.

The decision is in line with the policy that governs official funerals. The President’s decision is indeed a befitting recognition of Ndobe’s immeasurable contributions that have touched many lives.

Indeed, Mr Ndobe has through many actions exemplified and embodied all what is good in our dreams for South Africa. He was a builder and not a destroyer.

This is evidenced in the way he united members of the legislature from across the political spectrum. 

While we mourn his passing, we can pay him no better tribute than to learn from his life and to revive and remain true to those values that guided his life.

As it is the norm when official funerals are planned, the Provincial Funeral Committee comprising of senior provincial government and legislature officials and the South African Police Service has been formed to prepare for the funeral.

This team is working around the clock to ensure that Mr Ndobe gets a dignified send off.

Throughout the planning process, we have been in close contact with the family to ensure that all the activities conform to the family’s wishes and are culturally compliant.

The funeral will take place ont Saturday at Kokshill in Umzimkhulu Municipality.

FUNERAL SERVICE WILL COMPLIES WITH LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS

As stated earlier, Mr Ndobe served in various domains with great diligence and passion. Were it not because of the lockdown regulations which limits the number of people who attend funerals, Mr Ndobes’ send-off on Saturday would be attended by thousands of people.

Like any funeral service, Mr Ndobe’s send-off will have to fully comply with Regulation 22B, sub-regulation 8, of the COVID-19 lockdown regulations issued by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in March this year.

We have therefore ensured that in our planning, all the necessary arrangements are made to ensure that we avoid having too many people attending the funeral. That is why we have organised seven areas where people will view all the funeral service proceedings.

The screens will be erected in Bhongweni Youth Center in Kokstad, Sayidi TVET College in Umzimkhulu Municipality, Bulwer Hall in Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Municipality, Hlabeni Methodist Church and Koki Hall.

We will also use an outside broadcast van which will take the live funeral service feed to the following radio stations; Inanda fm , Harry Gwala fm, Umgungundlovu fm, Icora, Zululand fm, Maputaland fm, Radio Khwezi, KZN fm, Izwi Lomzansi fm, Radio Sunny South and North Coast Radio.

The legislature social media platforms and those of Harry Gwala District Municipality, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Ubuhlebezwe and Greater Kokstad municipality will also take the funeral proceedings right to the door steps of thousands of people.

Requests for live broadcasts have been made by many mainstream media houses.

We strongly believe that these platforms will give ordinary people and public leaders the opportunity to celebrate Mr Ndobe’s life. 

The legislature therefore appeals to the people of KwaZulu-Natal not to go to the venue where the funeral service will take place as they will not be allowed in due to the limited number of people who should attend.

To ensure that that we do not end up having too many people attending, invitations have been sent to various sectors and the team is busy compiling the names of people who will represent these structures.

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

A strong contingent of police officers will be deployed on the day of the funeral to among other things deal with the procession required for the official funeral, to ensure that there are no interruptions as well as ensuring that the lockdown regulations are not violated. 

Without divulging the entire security plan, we can however indicate that we are satisfied with the security arrangements that have been made by the SAPS leadership.

PROGRAMME

The programme will have three segments, with the first session dedicated mainly to tributes from the family and friends. The second session has been allocated to tributes from the opposition parties represented in the legislature and the eulogy on behalf of the provincial government. The last segment is for the sermon.

Mr Ndobe will be laid to rest at Kokshill cemetery which is just a stone’s throw away from his home.