MBABANE – Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala will be accorded a State Funeral, Minister for Tinkhundla Administration and Development Sikhumbuzo Dlamini has announced.
Dlamini made the announcement yesterday during a visit by Cabinet and senior government officials to the Maphalala homestead to mourn with the family following the death of the Chief Justice.
He said government would also assist the bereaved family with E500 000 towards funeral arrangements.
Of the amount, E100 000 was handed over to the family yesterday, while the remaining E400 000 will be used to settle funeral-related costs.
Dlamini conveyed government’s condolences to the Maphalala family, saying His Majesty King Mswati III was also touched by the death of the Chief Justice.
“The Deputy Prime Minister could not come here and sent us to come and mourn with the family. The prime minister is preparing to go out of the country on official assignment,” Dlamini said.
He said government mourns alongside the family, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and all those who worked with Maphalala.
Dlamini said the family should take comfort in their faith, citing the Bible’s teaching that God knows people from the womb of their mothers.
“People who knew Maphalala are the family God had given and now He has taken,” he said.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Appolo Maphalala also conveyed his condolences to the family, saying God was a comforter during times of grief.
He urged the family to find hope in the Lord Jesus Christ as they came to terms with the loss.
“When a father figure is no more, some people may take advantage, but we have hope that God will keep you strong and be your defender,” Apollo said.
The deceased’s brother, Shaka Maphalala, expressed appreciation to government for according his brother a State funeral.
He said the family was grateful for the support during the difficult period.
Chairman of the Civil Service Commission Simanga Mamba also addressed the mourners and expressed his grief over the death of the chief justice.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s Office, Judiciary, Magistrates, Human Rights Commission and the Department of Public Administration also held a separate mourning service at the Maphalala homestead.
The institutions paid tribute to the late chief justice, describing him as a good steward of the country’s justice system.
Mourners from the National Courts of Eswatini, led by Bishop Samson Hlatshwaki, also visited the homestead to pay their respects to the late chief justice.
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