Thabo Mbeki pays tribute to 'well-grounded revolutionary' Titus Mafolo

Former President Thabo Mbeki has hailed the late anti-apartheid activist Titus Mafolo as a key figure in the liberation movement and South Africa's new dispensation, as friends and family gathered to remember the veteran politician.

Mbeki and Deputy President Paul Mashatile joined mourners in Centurion on Friday, where Mafolo was honoured with a Special Provincial Official Funeral by the Gauteng government.

READ: Family, friends of late Titus Mafolo gather to honour his life

Mafolo passed away last week at the age of 69 following a brief illness. A prominent African National Congress(ANC) member and businessman, he also served as a strategic adviser to Mbeki during his presidential term.

Mbeki noted that Mafolo’s contributions to shaping post-democratic South Africa remain an essential part of the nation's history.

“I'm talking about somebody who critically, critically played a very important role in helping our country to move from where it was when it came into government to where it was by the time we left,” said Mbeki. “We were very, very privileged indeed, as I was saying, that we inherited a very well-grounded revolutionary, a thinker, an activist, a principled person, committed to the masses of our people, committed to the betterment of our country.”