The Thabo Mbeki Foundation clarifies former president Mbeki’s role at the funeral of Tito Mboweni. File Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi / Independent Newspapers
The Thabo Mbeki Foundation has received numerous media enquiries regarding former President Thabo Mbeki's involvement in the funeral of the late Tito Mboweni.
IOL reported that Mboweni died at the age of 65 following a brief illness and was buried on Saturday in Tzaneen, Limpopo, in a Special Official Category 2 Funeral.
In response to these enquiries and to uphold transparency, the Foundation released a statement clarifying the circumstances surrounding Mbeki's absence from the list of speakers and his decision to maintain the original program despite the family's request for changes.
Following Mboweni's passing, which shocked many who knew him, the Mboweni family approached Mbeki with a heartfelt request: to prepare and deliver a tribute at the funeral.
They regarded Mbeki not only as a leader but also as a mentor and friend to Tito, reflecting his significant role in Mboweni's life.
In a statement, the Thabo Mbeki Foundation explained, “The Mboweni family shared a draft funeral program with Mbeki, which included a list of proposed speakers. Among them was Mbeki, who accepted the family’s request and prepared his tribute as outlined in the program.”
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the final draft of the official service program, received on the eve of the funeral, omitted Mbeki's name without explanation.
The Foundation stated, “Despite no explanation being provided for this unexpected omission, Mbeki accepted the change without raising any questions and acknowledged that he would not be speaking at the service.”
Upon arrival at the funeral, Mbeki was approached by family members who expressed their apologies for the oversight.
They offered to amend the program to include him, but Mbeki advised against it, emphasising the importance of respecting the program as it was originally designed.
“The program was likely designed with a reason and should be respected,” he remarked, assuring the family that they should not bear additional stress during such a difficult time.
The family then requested that Mbeki at least share his prepared tribute publicly, to which he graciously agreed. The tribute reflected Mbeki’s deep respect for Mboweni and echoed the sentiments of Dr Ngoako Ramatlhodi, who noted, “Tito died a very unhappy comrade, as we often spent time discussing the challenges facing the movement and our country, particularly the current phase of the national democratic revolution.”
In honour of Mboweni and in recognition of his final wishes, the Foundation has decided to publish both the video and written versions of Mbeki's tribute on its platforms.
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