The death has been announced of the South African minister Jackson Mthembu. He reportedly died of COVID-19 related complications yesterday Thursday 21 January. He was aged 62
In a statement, the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the death while extending his condolences to the late minister’s family.
Born on 5 June 1958 in the Witbank area of Mpumalanga, Jackson Mthembu born began his political sojourn as one at Elukhanyisweni Secondary School. In the 1980s, during the apartheid era, he was arrested and tried for treason and sabotage alongside 30 others.
In 1990, he headed the Witbank branch of the ANC. He soon earned the role of ANC spokesperson in the Mpumalanga area. Under President Nelson Mandela, he served as national spokesperson of the ANC between 1995 and 1997. He assumed the same role between 2009 and 2014.
Eye Witness News reports, quoting a colleague of Jackson Mthembu, that the late minister was okay in the morning but that his health took a downward turn at about 1pm.
Following the confirmation of his death, messages of condolences have been pouring in from around South Africa and beyond, from those whose lives he touched one way or the other.
Got some kind words to share with the family? You’re welcome to share them in the comment section below.
