Durban businessman and pioneer of black economic empowerment Don Mkhwanazi is expected to be laid to rest on Saturday, a family spokesperson said on Friday.
Dr Xolani Mkhwanazi said proceedings were expected to begin at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre at 09:00 and the family would bury him privately at around 14:00 at the Lala Kahle private cemetery in Botha’s Hill.
“Transport will fetch mourners at 07:00 from Nwabi Anglican Church J section in Umlazi, the shopping centre in D section Umlazi, the gates of Lutheran Church at F section, Chesterville Community Hall, Lutheran Church in kwaMashu and 107 Avocado Grove, Avocado Hill,” said Mkhwanazi.
Members of the South African business fraternity are expected to be in attendance to bid farewell to Mkhwanazi, who died of a suspected heart attack last Friday.
During his memorial service at the Durban City Hall on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said black business should walk tall and be proud of its efforts.
“We do not have to be apologetic about our cause for radical transformation of the South African economy so that it favours black people and Africans in particular.
“We need to walk tall as black entrepreneurs to improve this economy of our country and African continent. Take advantage of the black industrialists without fear, the funding is there. This is what Don Mkhwanazi would have wanted us to do,” said Radebe.
The minister, who is a close family friend, also painted a bleak picture of the current black business landscape.
“As black business languishes in the foot of the mountain of this long journey, it is [rife with] black back stabbing, as if this was not enough of an audit of black business… jealousy and doing one another down reared their ugly head.
“Just as black business is caught in this dilemma of how to extract itself from these clear contradictions, one individual who could have had insights to resolve this dilemma, suddenly departed,” he said of Mkhwanazi’s sudden death.
