Professor Lungile Pepeta to be accorded official provincial funeral

President Cyril Ramaphosa has decided to give the late paediatric cardiologist Professor, Lungile Pepeta a special category two provincial funeral.

Pepeta will be laid to rest in Mbizana in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.

This was publicized by Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane in Bhisho on Tuesday.

He made this known while delivering his weekly address on the province’s Covid-19 response at the Bhisho massacre memorial site.

Mabuyane described Pepeta as an extraordinary human being who did extraordinary work in his life.

Mabuyane said “we roped in Professor Pepeta to serve in our panel of experts on Covid-19 and this is where he was consistently providing valuable inputs passionately every week, so that we can make informed decisions.

“We were still in the infancy stage of working together with him and other health experts to address healthcare provision challenges to ensure that post Covid-19, we have an improved healthcare system throughout our province.”

“That is why we applied to President Cyril Ramaphosa for him to accord Professor Pepeta a send-off befitting of his extraordinary deeds”.

“The president has approved our request and Professor Pepeta will be buried under the ambit of a Special Provincial Official Funeral Category 2 in Mbizana on Wednesday.

“Government is working closely with the family on logistics. May his servant soul rest in peace.”

Lungile Pepeta died of covid-19 on Friday.

He was a Nelson Mandela University health sciences executive dean and chairperson of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS).
He was also part of a 15-member panel of experts advising the provincial government on Covid-19.