Eric Naki As minister in the Presidency, Mthembu was a de facto prime minister and the face of the Presidency. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Jackson Mthembu share a moment in Parliament during President Jacob Zuma’s question and answer #ZumaQandA on June 22, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / Business Day / Esa Alexander) When the news of the death of Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu came, it was as though a deputy president or even a president had just died. I am not surprised. A teller at Shoprite, seeing me buying a copy of The Citizen with the story I wrote about the minister’s demise on Friday, remarked: “I can’t believe Jackson is no more, people like him shouldn’t die. He was too good to die.” My wife sent me a WhatsApp voice note a few hours after the news
defenceWeb
Written by defenceWeb -
Jackson Mthembu.
The South African Aerospace Maritime Defence Industry Association (AMD) has said the passing of Minister Jackson Mthembu is a great loss not only to the South African Defence Industry (SADI) community but to the country as a whole.
Mthembu died of COVID-related complications on 21 January, the Presidency announced. He was 62.
“AMD is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Minister Jackson Mthembu who was the Minister in the Presidency of South Africa and also served as the Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC),” the Association said.
“Minister Mthembu will always be remembered for the role he played in the liberation of our country and the sacrifices he made for the freedom that we now all enjoy. With every assignment he was given, in the post-apartheid South Africa, he brought with him enthusiasm, commitment and dedication. This extended to the last positions he held before his