Pretoria – South Africans will get a chance to pay tribute to their sporting heroes at a memorial service to be held by the Gauteng Provincial Government in partnership with the sporting fraternity.
The joint memorial service will honour the lives of Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Senzo Meyiwa and Phindile Mwelase. It will be held on Thursday at the Standard Bank Arena at 12pm in Johannesburg.
The three are celebrated for their achievements in their respective sporting codes. Mulaudzi was the 2009 World Champion in the men’s 800m race; Meyiwa was Bafana Bafana captain and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper while Mwelase was a professional welter weight boxer.
Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Molebatsi Bopape has urged fans to attend the service to bid a final farewell to the trio, who had given their lives to entertain and bring joy to South Africans.
“It has been an emotionally draining week for us all to have lost our heroes in such a short space of time. Let us all ensure we give them a send-off befitting the royalty that Meyiwa, Mulaudzi and Mwelase were…” said Bopape.
Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula, Gauteng Premier David Makhura, MEC Bopape and senior members of various sporting codes are expected to attend the memorial service.
Meanwhile, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Council will tomorrow pay a special tribute to Meyiwa at the Germiston Council Chamber starting at 10am.
Mayoral spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said: “Council took the decision to honour Meyiwa because of his national status and the fact that he was shot in Vosloorus, which is in the jurisdiction of Ekurhuleni.” – SAnews.gov.za
