Pretoria - The late Minister of Public Service and Administration, Roy Padayachie, will receive an Official Funeral Category 1, the Presidency has announced.
This category of the funeral is reserved for distinguished persons specifically designated by the President of the Republic of South Africa.
Padayachie, aged 62, passed away in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday, where he was attending the African Peer Review Mechanism meeting of the Select Committee of Focal Points.
His body arrived in South Africa on Saturday and was handed over to his family and loved ones after it arrived in Durban from Addis Ababa.
"The body was received by the family accompanied by the Minister of Labour, Mildred Olifant, and representatives of the provincial government, representing President Jacob Zuma and Cabinet," the Presidency said.
It added that Olifant would fill the role of acting Minister of Public Service and Administration until further notice.
In honour of both Minister Padayachie and former Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceko, all national flags will from Monday fly at half-mast at all flag stations in the until the evening of burial.
Shiceka passed away at Umtata General Hospital in the Eastern Cape, on Monday, following a long illness that saw him take extended leave from his work as a minister.
Padayachie will be buried on Wednesday in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal while Shiceka will be buried on Saturday in Midrand, Gauteng.
Minister Collins Chabane, Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on State Funerals will release further details on Padayachie, after consulting with his family.