Ramaphosa praises Molewa for taking lead in tackling serious issues like wildlife crimes and climate change

President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded late environmental affairs minister Edna Molewa for taking a lead in tackling serious issues in her portfolio such as wildlife crimes and climate change.

Delivering the eulogy at Molewa's funeral in Pretoria on Saturday‚ Ramaphosa said Molewa was one of his hard working ministers and was dedicated to serving the country and the governing party‚ the ANC.

"It is because of leaders like her that we will be able to bequeath to our children and grandchildren that which is the greatest gift of all – our natural world"‚ said Ramaphosa.

"She has left this mortal world‚ but her work and her legacy is all around us. It is in the rich African soil‚ it is in our clear blue skies‚ it is in the abundance of our oceans‚ in the unique plants and the bountiful wildlife that we cherish and respect and preserve.

"Her legacy lives on in the people of this great land‚ as they strive together‚ sparing neither strength nor courage‚ to build the free‚ equal and just society to which she dedicated her very being. May her soul rest in peace."

Speaking as a friend of Molewa's at the Tshwane Events Centre‚ former transport minister Dipuo Peters said the best way to honour the late minister would be to rally South Africans to vote for the ANC in their big numbers in next year's general elections.

"As Edna's friends what is it that we should do to honour her because we cannot just come here and say we are paying tribute to this woman who loved the African National Congress I know for sure?" said Peters.

"So if we want to keep the legacy of this woman alive we will go out and work hard to convince those who are still doubting that the ANC is their liberator to continue voting for the ANC.

"We are saying 2019 is around the corner so let us continue doing the work she wanted to do."

Molewa died a fortnight ago following a short illness.