President declares special official funeral for Keorapetse Kgositsile

President Jacob Zuma has declared a special official funeral for the late political activist and poet Professor William Keorapetse Kgositsile who died on Wednesday.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday‚ January 16. The president has ordered that the national flag be flown at half-mast at every flag station in the country on that day.

The special official funeral category is for distinguished persons specifically designated by the President of the Republic.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the eulogy at the funeral.

Further details of the funeral will be communicated by the Department of Arts and Culture and the Kgositsile family‚ the Presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

Kgositsile‚ also known by his pen name Bra Willie‚ was inaugurated in 2006 as South Africa’s second National Poet Laureate after the first National Poet Laureate Professor Mazisi Kunene. He was also a recipient of the National Order of Ikhamanga for his contribution to the field of literature.