Staff Reporter
The late founder and chairman of Free State Stars Football Club, Mike Mokoena, who died last week after a long battle with cancer, will receive a special official funeral.
The distinguished football administrator will be laid to rest on Friday, June 26, in Bethlehem, Free State.
A statement from the office of Premier Sisi Ntombela said President Cyril Ramaphosa had approved a request for Mokoena’s funeral to be declared a “Special Official Funeral Category 2”.
“President Ramaphosa has . . . instructed that the national flag fly at half-mast in the Free State province, at all government buildings, on the day of the late Mike Mokoena’s funeral service,” read part of the statement.
A Special Official Provincial Funeral Category 2 is given to distinguished persons specifically designated by the president of the Republic of South Africa.
It includes, among others, elements of police ceremonial honours in line with the Presidency’s State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy.
Better known as Bra Mike, Mokoena has been described in football circles as selfless and the epitome of practicality for the way he dedicated himself to the game.
Mokoena founded the club as Makwane Stars in the rural town of QwaQwa, eastern Free State, in 1977.
The team was to be renamed QwaQwa Stars and it was also nicknamed “Ea Lla Koto” by its multitudes of fans.
“The club most notably won the Coca-Cola Cup in 1994 and most recently in 2018, the Nedbank Cup, before being relegated from the topflight Premier Soccer League to the National Soccer League in the 2018/2019 season,” said the premier’s statement.
Ntombela welcomed the decision of the president saying: “Mike Mokoena has served the Free State and the football fraternity with the highest level of dedication and commitment – may his soul rest in peace.”