Mbeki silenced at Mboweni's funeral!

FORMER president Thabo Mbeki was snubbed from making a speech at the late Tito Mboweni's funeral.

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation confirmed this on Tuesday, 22 October.

The foundation revealed that Mbeki was initially asked by the Mboweni family to prepare and deliver a tribute at the funeral, as per Mboweni's final wish.

However, his name was removed from the programme at the last minute.

The foundation stated that Mbeki was chosen not only because he was seen by Mboweni and his family as a leader, mentor, and friend but also because it was Mboweni's wish.

ALSO READ | Snack horror: Stop using rat poison, pleads MECOpens in new window

"On receipt of the final draft of the Special Official Service programme on the eve of the funeral, it was noted that all the names proposed by the family were included, except for president Mbeki's. Despite no explanation being provided for this unexpected omission, president Mbeki accepted the changes without raising any questions and acknowledged that he would not be speaking at the service," the foundation said.

According to the foundation, the Mbowenis apologised to Mbeki for the "obvious omission" of his name from the programme and offered to adjust the programme to include Mbeki's name, but he advised against it.

Mboweni was laid to rest in his hometown of Tzaneen, Limpopo, on Saturday, 19 October.

On Tuesday, 22 October, the foundation released the speech that Mbeki would have read, as per the family's request to share it with the public.

"It is with a great sense of humility that I stand here today to say farewell to a distinguished son of our people, Tito Mboweni, who we shall forever honour as a revolutionary, a comrade, and a friend," the speech read, in part.

"I say this because members of the Mboweni family informed me a few days ago that in his written directives about his funeral, Comrade Tito said that I should be one of the speakers."

It is not yet clear why Mbeki's name was omitted from the programme.