Following the stroke, he went for treatment in the Soviet Union, where he died on 19 May 1978. On the 1 March 2015, Moses Kotane's remains were returned to South Africa together with the remains of J. B. Marks and he was reburied on 14 March at Pella, North West. Kotane was honoured with the Isitwalandwe Medal by the ANC in 1975. A local municipality is named after him in North West Province, South Africa.