Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says the government is proud of former Azanian Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) leader, the late Dr Motsoko Peko.
Mr Lesufi paid tribute to Mr Pheko at his funeral in Rosebank, Johannesburg yesterday.
The anti-apartheid activist died two weeks ago at the age of 93.
A Pan-Africanist, academic, author, diplomat and politician, Pheko served as an MP for ten years on various portfolio committees.
He was also PAC's representative at the United Nations.
He was given a special local funeral by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Lesufi says: “We have come to you to honor and pay our respects to the son of the soil. We, as the Gauteng Government, bow before you in a gesture of special public funeral and express our deepest gratitude to you, no matter how hurt. How proud I am that this son of the land, this scholar, this leader, this lawyer, is someone who can't actually keep quiet without the honor of the government I lead.”
[IN PICTURES] : Special state official funeral for Dr. Motsoko Peko, anti-apartheid activist, lawyer, author, theologian, scholar and historian who passed away on April 19, 2024.
93 years old. pic.twitter.com/rIiu2YRcXJ— Gauteng Governor (@GautengProvince) May 4, 2024
Pheko holds several degrees from the University of South Africa (Unisa), including an honorary doctorate.
Defender Marmo Moerane SC says he deserves all the praise he has received.
“We are grateful for all the well-deserved honors bestowed upon him. He was truly a wonderful man, a scholar and a gentleman. “He wrote and published his autobiography at the age of 88. ’s final biography, The Battle of the African Shepherd,” Moerane added.
Video | Dr. Motsuko Peko's funeral:
