The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance, Water and Sanitation, China Dodovu, is among the latest to express his sadness at the passing of the MEC for Cooperative Governance.

Dodovu, the former Mayor of the Matlosana Municipality in Klerksdorp, says Kegakilwe’s passing robbed the people of the province.

He adds that his death comes at a critical time when efforts to turn around the plight of municipalities in the province continues.

Kegakilwe passed on at a Klerskdorp health facility after suffering a cardiac arrest.

His death comes amidst a surge in the rate of infections and rise in the death toll among Covid-19 patients in the province.

The MEC was admitted with Covid-19 pneumonia on Sunday at the Vryburg Private Hospital and later on Monday transported to a medical facility in Klerksdorp where he reportedly passed on after several attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Dodovu joins parties like the South African Communist Party (SACP), among others, in sending condolences to the family of Kegakilwe.

“We had engaged MEC Kegakilwe late last year and he had committed to ensuring that municipalities in the North West that were placed under Section 139 of the Constitution are returned to functionality for the benefit of the people of North West. The committee extends its heartfelt condolences to the Kegakilwe family," he further adds.

Meanwhile, the SACP Provincial Secretary and MEC for Health in the province, Madoda Sambatha, says Kegakilwe’s death came as a shock and has caused deep sadness.

Sambatha says Kegakilwe will be remembered as one of the long-serving 'revolutionary' leaders of the ANC in the province, a humble, committed and hard-working servant of the people who served the ANC in various capacities throughout his illustrious career.

"His understanding, expertise and passion for local government was unparalleled, and belonged to the glorious legion of cadres who relentlessly display an appreciation of the centrality of the ANC-headed Revolutionary Alliance and valued its unity. His departure comes at a critical time when our country and the world is battling the novel coronavirus pandemic which has visited on humanity a health and economic crisis of enormous proportion," Sambatha adds.

OFM News