A memorial service will be held this morning for the late former Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo.
Hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s head office, the memorial service will honour Kumalo, who served as a Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations in New York from 1999 to 2009.
He passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday evening at the age of 71. The memorial service starts at 9:30am.
The official funeral service will take place on Saturday at Calvary Methodist Church in Halfway Gardens in Midrand.
Acting President David Mabuza on Wednesday declared a Special Official Funeral Category 2 for the late ambassador.
A Special Official Funeral Category 2 entails elements of police ceremonial honours in line with the Presidency’s State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy for distinguished persons specifically designated by the President of the Republic of South Africa.
In line with this declaration, the Presidency announced that the National Flag will from this morning fly at half-mast at all flag stations countrywide until the evening of the burial.
Kumalo also served as co-chair for the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council; and was chair at the UN of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Group of 77 plus China.
As an anti-apartheid campaigner, Kumalo played an influential role in the process that led to the UN’s declaration of apartheid as a crime against humanity. – SAnews.gov.za
