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Durban - The slaying of South African soccer captain Senzo Meyiwa should open a national discussion on the availability of weapons in the country, said Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe.
"A national discourse has started and it is welcome," he told mourners at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium.
He said the shooting of Meyiwa in Vosloorus last weekend should encourage South Africans in determining the way to address crime.
He said South Africans would need to decide "whether we are hell-bent on self destruction or peaceful co-existence".
Meyiwa's life had been taken because of the greed of others who were prepared to shoot an unarmed man - a fate, Radebe said, that would not even happen in the Wild West.
Radebe said that it had also been decided by the eThekwini Municipality to have him buried in Heroes Acre in the Chesterville cemetery.
"He is a hero who contributed to the dignity of our nation," he said, adding that Meyiwa's talents were recognised beyond the shores of Africa.
After Radebe spoke, Orlando Pirates players took to the stage and sang for Meyiwa, followed by gospel musician Rebecca Malope.
Malope sang beside Meyiwa's coffin, while the Buccaneers later sang while standing in a circle around it.
