Will Zuma be allowed to attend Kathrada’s funeral?
According to reports, Kathrada allegedly said he did not want the president at his funeral.
President Jacob Zuma. Picture: Neil McCartney
Following news of the recent passing of ANC struggle stalwart Ahmed Kathrada, reports have emerged that President Jacob Zuma could possibly be barred from attending his funeral.
Kathrada died on Tuesday morning following a short illness. He was 87 years old.
Mail and Guardian reports that a close friend of the family revealed that, during the last moments of his life, Kathrada allegedly said that he did not want the president to attend his funeral.
The two had been at odds after the late Kathrada penned an open letter to Zuma in 2016, urging him to resign as president.
Reacting to these reports, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation said it had no knowledge of the reports and added that the late stalwart’s funeral would be open to everyone.
According to EWN, the foundation’s CEO Neeshan Balton said anyone, including the president, was welcome to attend the late veteran’s funeral.
Balton said the service, taking place in Johannesburg on Wednesday, would be hosted by the foundation and would include speakers from the foundation itself as well as the likes of former President Kgalema Motlanthe while the memorial place, taking place later on in the week, would include outside speakers.
Kathrada’s funeral will take place at the Westpark Cemetary at 10am.
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