Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will attend the state funeral of the late former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, on Thursday, in Accra, Ghana.
“She will attend the funeral as a representative of the South African government and the people of South Africa at large,” said the Presidency in a statement.
Annan passed away on the morning of 18 August 2018 in Switzerland at the age of 80 after a short illness.
In August, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo announced that Annan will be honoured with a full state funeral.
The President said the body of Annan would be buried at a new military cemetery at Burma Camp.
Annan, a Ghanaian national, was the seventh Secretary-General of the UN and the first African to hold that office.
He was revered for his commitment to eradicate poverty and inequality, improve education, reduce the incidence of HIV/Aids and protect the environment and humanity from violence.
The global peace icon was also honoured in two separate ceremonies in New York and Geneva following his passing.
A Nobel Peace Laureate, Annan was honoured with a Doctorate in Literature and Philosophy by the University of South Africa on 17 July 2008.
He also served as the chairperson of The Elders - an international non-governmental organisation of public figures noted as elder statesmen, peace activists and human rights advocates, who were brought together by former President Nelson Mandela in 2007.
In a statement, the group described Annan as a global statesman and a deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world. – SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
