The North West Government has applied for a provincial official funeral for the late Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope.
“We want to accord the late Kgosi Mangope a respectable funeral as he was loved by many not only in the province but in many other parts of the world. We are still awaiting response from Presidency for the application we have already made on the provincial official funeral which we can get anytime from now,” said North West MEC for Culture Arts and Traditional Affairs, Ontlametse Mochware.
Kgosi Mangope, who died at the age of 94, led the then Bophuthatswana from 1977 to 1994 and then after the birth of democracy he was the leader of the United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP).
He passed away on Thursday after a short illness at his home village in Motswedi.
Speaking to the media after visiting the family of the late Kgosi Mangope at his home in Motswedi village on Sunday, MEC Mochware said he was a lively leader who was proud of his tradition.
“The late Kgosi Lucas Mangope will be remembered as someone who played an active role in preserving and promoting the Setswana arts and culture traditions in the province.
“He was a father, a vibrant leader who loved God and very good in presenting fluently most of his speeches in Setswana which is our home language that we love in this province. I grew up as a child listening to him a lot on the radios and televisions speaking very well and most of his talks were inspirational because he was a custodian of our arts and culture,” said MEC Mochware.
The provincial government delegation led by MEC Mochware, Human Settlement and Local Government MEC, Fenny Gaolaolwe, NW House of Traditional Leaders Chairperson, Kgosi Moshe Mabe and the Director General, Lydia Sebego visited the home of Kgosi Mangope to convey messages of condolence and hold short talks relating to funeral arrangements.
The Provincial Chairperson of the house of traditional leaders, Kgosi Mabe, has also sent a message of condolence and described Kgosi Mangope as an exemplary leader.
“We lost someone who was special in the history of our province and a traditional leader who was proud of his language including arts and culture. He made his mark in this world and there is a lot we have learned from him and now it is our time to say goodbye. My heartfelt condolences to his family and close friends,” he said.
On funeral plans, the Mangope family spokesperson, Bathoeng Mangope thanked government for their support during this difficult time and outlined some of the funeral arrangements activities.
He said the family will be working with the provincial government after a response from Presidency on the status of the funeral.
“We have already planned that the memorial service must be on Wednesday and the funeral ceremony to take place on the 27 January, here in Motswedi. We have agreed to work with our municipality and the provincial government to give our grandfather a respectable send-off here at home,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
