Cape Town - FIFA President Sepp Blatter, musician Hugh Masekela and Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos are among 36 South Africans and foreigners that will receive national orders from President Jacob Zuma.
The national orders will be presented to the recipients on Tuesday during Freedom Day celebrations at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Vusi Mavimbela, director general in the Presidency said the country recognised Blatter's contribution which resulted in the FIFA World Cup being hosted in Africa for the first time.
Issa Hayatou, the President of the Confederation of African Football will also be honoured for his work in securing the World Cup for Africa.
Mavimbela said though Blatter would not be able to make it to the Freedom Day celebrations, President Zuma would host a dinner party two days before the cup's kick off where the FIFA president would be honoured with his national order.
Mavimbela said the national orders celebrated everything from culture to the promotion of the well being of South Africans.
Individuals and institutions nominate recipients for the national orders to a committee which then advises President Zuma.
Blatter's nomination was made about two years ago, said Yvonne Muthien, the chairperson of the Advisory Council on National Orders.
Muthien said the Department of Sport had essentially nominated a range of individuals and in the past awards were granted to the Local Organising Committee and FIFA.
A number of anti-apartheid activists, including Harry Gwala who spent a collective 19 years on Robben Island and passed away in 1995, will also be honoured with national orders.
The G5 unit, an underground Umkhonto Wesizwe cell which carried out a number of attacks on police stations in Gauteng in the 1980s, was one of four recipients honoured with the Order of Mendi which is bestowed on those in the fight for democracy.
Others who will be honoured include Journalist Percy Qoboza and Nelson Mandela's one-time advocate Joel Joffe.
Qoboza, an outspoken critic of apartheid, served as editor of the newspaper The World and City Press in the 1970 and 1980s respectively.
He will be honoured posthumously with the Order of Ikhamanga which recognises South Africans that have excelled in the arts and sport.
Joffe, who represented Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial and serves as a peer in the UK's House of Lords, will be honoured by the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo.
Muthien said though those honoured would not receive any prize money, they would be presented with "priceless" minted medals.
