The state-funded memorial service of former apartheid president FW de Klerk will take place at the Groote Kerk in Cape Town, on Sunday 12 December 2021.
FW de Klerk memorial service: Road closures for this weekend
After prolonged uncertainty around the government’s role in sending off the esteemed 85-year-old, police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe confirmed, in a statement, that preparations are in place to oversee the memorial service.
This is despite Presidency Minister Mondli Gungubele claiming, during a media briefing held on Thursday, that the government was still contemplating on whether to carry on with the event.
“Let’s talk about the FW de Klerk issue, it is still being decided. It’s being worked on, there is a supposed memorial on Sunday,” the minister said, adding the matter had not yet been finalised,” he said.
According to Col. Mathe, however, “the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) have been meeting regularly in preparation for the state memorial service scheduled to take place on Sunday, 12 December 2021.”
“The NatJOINTS has assessed the state of readiness and preparedness of all law enforcement agencies and is satisfied with the plans which include security plans, route security, and access control of all the relevant departments,” Mathe noted.
Motorists in Cape Town are advised to take note of the following road closures that will be in place ahead of the FW de Klerk memorial service
- Groote Kerk
- Bureau and Spin Street between Adderley Street and Plein Street from 06:00 on Sunday, 12 December 2021.
- Parliament Street between Parliament Precinct and Church Square from 06:00 on Sunday, 12 December 2021.
- Adderley Street (one lane nearest to Groote Kerk) between Parliament Precinct and Longmarket Street from 17:00 on Saturday, 11 December 2021 till end of the Event on Sunday, 12 December 2021.
How to watch the event live in South Africa
The former apartheid president’s memorial service will be broadcast live on news channels. We also anticipate the event being streamed live and will include the feed below as soon as it becomes available.
