Memorial services to honour the late Manto Tshabalala-Msimang will start on Monday with events taking place in Pretoria and Durban.

The former Health minister died last week after complications relating to her 2007 liver transplant.

African National Congress Secretary General Gwede Mantashe will address a service at the Durban City Hall on Monday morning and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will speak at a gathering at the Pretoria City Hall on Monday afternoon.

Tshabalala-Msimang’s official funeral will be in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Tshwane Community Safety’s Console Tleane said road closures in Pretoria were in effect on Monday morning.

“For the Monday City Hall service: Jacob Mare and Paul Kruger as well as Paul Kruger and Skinner,” said Tleane.  

At the same time, the City of Tshwane said on Sunday it will re-open the Rebecca Street Crematorium on Monday, ahead of Tshabalala-Msimang’s funeral on Tuesday.

The city’s only cremation facility had been shut since May, when an inspection of its four ageing furnaces revealed they were unfit for use.

The closure was brought into the spotlight when the Presidency asked the city to reopen the facility to cremate the late former Health minister, sparking outrage from the community.

On Sunday, Tshwane officials announced two fully-restored furnaces will re-open to the public on Monday once a permission certificate had been signed by the Environmental Affairs Department.

The city had been accused of fast-tracking the repairs to accommodate Tshabalala-Msimang’s cremation but the Tshwane Metro’s Console Tleane said the date for re-opening was set before the former Health minister died.

“The repairs have taken place and they were ended around the end of November, beginning of December,” said Tleane.