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The ashes of the American rapper Tupac Shakur are to be buried in Soweto next week on the 10th anniversary of his murder at the height of the US 'rap wars'.

The rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur, will carry her son's ashes to the 'birthplace of his ancestors' on Wednesday and hold a memorial service in the best known of South Africa's townships.

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She said Soweto had been chosen as the 'birthplace of the South African struggle for democracy and against apartheid'.

Johannesburg council has donated a two-hectare (five-acre) site of undeveloped land in the Zola area of Soweto for construction of a memorial to the rapper, who was the world's biggest-selling rap artist when he was shot dead aged 25 in Las Vegas in 1996.

Some of the land will be turned into a park for local children, but an amphitheatre and museum of South African music and arts are also planned. Some of the funding will come from the Johannesburg authorities and the rest from the US-based Tupac foundation.

Tupac Shakur was a popular star among young South Africans. One of the country's best known singers and actors, Zola, who was born in Soweto, is hosting the mourners. Among those expected for the memorial is the American singer Macy Gray, who is reportedly building an orphanage in the area.

Afeni Shakur was an activist in America's radical Black Panthers, which she said had a great influence on her son's view of the struggle for black rights.

She said: 'Events that happened [in Soweto] are so much a part of our history and it will be an honour for my son to rest in this special place.'

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She also plans to meet Nelson Mandela.