President Cyril Ramaphosa will personally nominate Joseph Shabalala for the National Order of Ikhamanga in gold.

Ramaphosa made this announcement at the music icon's funeral in Ladysmith on Saturday.

The order is bestowed for excellence in arts, culture, music, literature and journalism. Gold is the highest grade for the order.

“I am going to be nominating ubaba Joseph Shabalala himself to be awarded the National Order of Ikhamanga in gold. If there is anyone who deserves it richly it is ubaba.”

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which Shabalala founded, has already been awarded the accolade in silver.

Ramaphosa said Shabalala's music promoted harmony, love and mutual tolerance.

“As a nation, we can, like Mambazo, work as a team, despite political differences, to realise the SA we want to live in,” Ramaphosa said.

The president added that in memory of Shabalala, government has to ensure that artists receive their dues, that they are not exploited and that their rights to their works are protected for their benefit and that of their descendants.

“The draft white paper on arts and culture that is still before parliament must be processed without delay.

“The paper includes proposals around catalytic funding and financing for the creative sector, around accelerating transformation and inclusion, and ensuring effective protection for the rights of practitioners.

“We must also ensure legislation applicable to artists, creators, educators, broadcasters and owners are all taken into account when determining what steps to take in relation to the Copyright Amendment Bill,” Ramaphosa added