Mahikeng – North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, Gordon Kegakilwe, has died from Covid-pneumonia.
He is believed to have died en-route to a hospital on Monday after going into cardiac arrest. He was being transferred from one medical facility to the next.
"MEC Kegakilwe was admitted with Covid-pneumonia on Sunday afternoon at the Vryburg Private Hospital and was immediately put on oxygen; and a decision was taken on Monday morning to transfer him to a medical facility in Klerksdorp.
"He was transported from Vryburg to Klerksdorp in an ambulance and upon arrival in Klerksdorp, he suffered a cardiac arrest and despite all the efforts by the medical personnel, he succumbed and lost his life," the North West government said in a statement.
North West Premier, Professor Tebogo Job Mokgoro, sent his condolences to the family and friends of the late MEC Kegakilwe,
"He had distinguished himself as one of the finest to have come from the ranks of the governing African National Congress and a tried and tested leader," Mokgoro said.
The North West has recorded more than 6000 confirmed Covid-19 cases while 36 people have died. The Health Ministry has also confirmed that more that 800 people have recovered from the coronavirus.
To date, nearly 200 000 people in South Africa have tested positive for Covid-19 while 3199 people have lost their lives. At least 93 000 people, across SA, have recovered from Covid-19.