Today marks the start of seven days of national mourning in memory of Frene Ginwala, who served as the first speaker of South Africa's first democratically elected legislature.

Ms Ginwala died on Thursday night aged 90.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast around the country until the evening of Tuesday 24 January 2023, according to a statement from his office.

More details will be announced later on an official memorial service that will take place in Johannesburg next Tuesday.

During the 1960s and 1970s Ms Ginwala lived in exile in Mozambique from where she helped many prominent members of the banned African National Congress (ANC) escape abroad.

Ms Ginwala also travelled around the world drawing international attention to the abuses of the apartheid era.

Source: BBC