Chester Williams to be given official state funeral – De Lille
The public works minister made the announcement at a memorial for the Springbok legend at the University of the Western Cape on Wednesday.
Chester Williams takes a selfie with Joost Van Der Westhuizen during the #1995reunited event held at Emirates Airlines Park, formerly known as Ellis Park in Johannesburg, 24 June 2015. The event was held to reunite the players and coaches of the Rugby World Cup winning team of 1995 on the exact day and place, 20 years later that they won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, an event that had many ramifications in the formation of the new South Africa. Picture: Neil McCartney
Chester Williams will be laid to rest in an official state funeral at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille announced the news at a memorial for the Springbok legend at the University of the Western Cape on Wednesday.
Williams died suddenly from a heart attack last Friday. He was 49.
De Lille said she was a close friend of the Williams family.
“We were great friends. He used to love to make potjiekos and a braai at the same time. He would sit at the braai and play PJ Powers songs, until I asked him to play something else,” De Lille was quoted as saying.
“We’ve lost a legend and an icon, but he has run a good race. He has shown us in the short space of 49 years what he has achieved,” De Lille said.
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