It is all systems go for the state funeral of former North West Premier, ANC stalwart, and anti-apartheid activist, Kaobitsa Abel ‘Bushy’ Maape, who will be laid to rest in his hometown of Vryburg tomorrow.
Maape passed away last Saturday, 16 May 2026, at the Life Brenthurst Hospital in Johannesburg at the age of 68.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a Special Provincial Funeral Category 1 for the late veteran, which includes ceremonial honours designated by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
President Ramaphosa also ordered that all national flags be flown at half-mast across the province from today until tomorrow in honour of the former premier.
Tributes continue to pour in for the ANC activist, who has been described as a hero, a father figure, and praised as one of the most dignified leaders to emerge from the North West for steering the province through challenging periods of governance.
Family, friends, and comrades from across the country gathered in Mahikeng on Thursday for a memorial service to celebrate a life defined by struggle and service and are now moving to Vryburg to pay their final respects.
Maape served as the seventh Premier of the North West Province and was a member of the North West Provincial Legislature from September 2021 until May 2024.
“Comrade Maape was recruited into the underground structures of the ANC during the apartheid era and became an operative within the liberation movement,” ANC national spokesperson Mahlengu Bhengu-Motsiri said.
“His passion for education remained a defining feature of his life as he believed deeply in the power of learning to liberate and uplift communities,” she added.
Bhengu-Motsiri added that Maape dedicated his life to the struggle for liberation, the advancement of South Africans, and community empowerment through education, serving the ruling party with discipline, humility, and unwavering commitment.
In 1986, Maape was imprisoned on Robben Island for his political activities, where he continued to pursue education and intellectual development despite the harsh conditions of apartheid confinement.
“Following his release, he served the people in various leadership roles, including as chairperson of the ANC in the Kgalagadi region and as a senior government official in the province,” Bhengu-Motsiri noted.
The late premier is survived by his family, comrades, and a province that will remember him as both an administrative leader and a dedicated veteran of the liberation struggle.
