The late former minister of defence and leader of the Congress of the People (Cope), Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota, is being laid to rest in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Lekota passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 4 March 2026, at a Johannesburg hospital.
He had been battling ill health over the past year. He was 77 years old.
On Friday, 6 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that Lekota would be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 2.
The funeral will feature ceremonial elements provided by the South African Police Service (Saps).
The president further directed that the National Flag be flown at half-mast at all flag stations from Saturday, 7 March 2026, until today after the funeral.
Ramaphosa paid tribute to Lekota as “a patriot, freedom fighter, and servant of the people whose life story is closely intertwined with our journey of struggle and the realisation of democracy.”
“We honour him especially for his principled dedication to non-racialism during our struggle and in a liberated South Africa.
“We deeply value his service to his home province, where he served as Premier, and to our Armed Forces and our national security, in his role as Minister of Defence.”
Lekota had been leading Cope since 2008, when the party was launched following the ANC Polokwane conference, where former president Thabo Mbeki lost to former president Jacob Zuma.
He stepped back from active politics after the 29 May 2024 elections, with the party confirming the decision was due to ill health.
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