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Human rights defender George Bizos appears in his office on January 26, 2010 in Johannesburg. He was part of the legal team that defended Nelson Mandela in the 1960s when the world icon was sentenced to life in prison by the apartheid state. Mandela was released 20 years ago on February 11, 1990. Photo: AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN
President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that the late human rights lawyer and social activist George Bizos will receive a special Category 1 official funeral, usually reserved for the most distinguished South Africans.
In addition, national flags will be flown at half mast at all flag stations in the country from Saturday through Thursday night, when the funeral is expected to take place.
Lawyer George Bizos was born in Kirani, Greece, and moved to South Africa in 1941, before becoming a human rights lawyer, most notable for his defense of the Rivonia prosecutors as well as the 1956 treason prosecutors.
Bizos passed away on the afternoon of September 9, 2020 at the age of 92, surrounded by his family at his home in Johannesburg.
Earlier this week, former President Nelson Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel, wrote a heartfelt message, paying tribute to Bizos, saying he was “the last of Madiba’s closest friends to leave.”
President Ramaphosa has described George Bizos as one of the best legal minds in South Africa who contributed immensely to the achievement of democracy.
“George Bizos was a household name and had an incisive legal mind and was also one of the architects of our constitution who contributed immensely and will be deeply missed. We bow our heads in honor of the contribution he made to our democracy, ”Ramaphosa said.
Machel said: “Madiba and George [were] more than special friends, they were two souls with [an] uncompromising enthusiasm for justice. In different trenches, but complementing each other in a remarkable journey of six decades, of loyal friendship and brotherhood, walking hand in hand ”.
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