The Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has described the death of the Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe as a “huge loss” to the nation’s education sector.
Makgoe died at the age of 59 in a car crash which happened on the N1 stretch near Winburg in the early hours of Sunday morning.
His bodyguard Vuyo Mdi was also killed in the crash and the driver of their vehicle was injured and taken to hospital.
The vehicle crashed into two cows.
Minister @Angie_Motshekga shocked and saddened at the passing of Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe
The Minister says the MEC contributed immensely not only to the provincial education department but to the sector as a whole.
May his soul rest in rest. pic.twitter.com/CgYHk3P6We
— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) March 5, 2023
Makgoe became the Education MEC in May 2009. During his tenure, the Free State had the highest matric pass rate in the country in four consecutive years.
Meanwhile, the Free State Premier Mxolisi Dukwana will hold a media briefing on Sunday to share more details about what is to follow.
‘Dedicated servant’
The Congress of the People in the Free State has described Makgoe as a dedicated servant of the people. The party’s national spokesperson Dennis Bloem says Makgoe’s death is a loss to his family and the country.
Bloem says Makgoe dedicated his entire life to fighting for the freedom of the oppressed, claiming Makgoe’s contribution to the country’s education sector will be engraved in the history of the country.
