Mothibedi Gordon Kegakilwe (1 April 1967 – 6 July 2020) was a South African politician and a party member of the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
. He served as the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs from May 2019 until his death in July 2020.
Kegakilwe was elected to the
North West Provincial Legislature
The North West Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of North West (South Africa), North West. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the memb ...
in May 2009. He served as the MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs from 2009 until 2010 and was the ANC's chief whip between 2011 and 2013.
In January 2016, he resigned as an MPL but returned to the legislature after the May 2019 elections. Within the ANC, Kegakilwe served as deputy provincial secretary and as acting provincial secretary.
Early life and education
Mothibedi Gordon Kegakilwe was born on 1 April 1967 in
Tlakgameng, north of
Vryburg
Vryburg () is a large agricultural town with a population of 48,400 situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province of South Africa. It is the seat and the industrial and agricultural heartland of the di ...
in the
Transvaal Province
The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...
.
He started school at Kegakilwe Primary School in 1973 and matriculated from Pinagare College.
Kegakilwe then enrolled for a degree in medicine at the Medical University of Southern Africa (now
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) is a university in Pretoria North, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Its current incarnation was formed on 1 January 2015. Previously it was known as ''Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA) ...
).
He dropped out due to anti-apartheid activities.
Kegakilwe obtained a degree in education, an honours degree in chemistry and a master's degree in governance from the
University of the Free State
The University of the Free State is a multi-campus public university in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa. It was first established as an institution of higher learning in 1904 as a tertiary se ...
. He achieved a certificate in management from the
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...
.
He proceeded to teach at a local college.
Political career
Kegakilwe joined the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
and served as the head of the party's
Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region from 2006 until 2010.
He was also the municipal manager of the
Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality.
He was
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
to the
North West Provincial Legislature
The North West Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of North West (South Africa), North West. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the memb ...
in May 2009. He was sworn in as a member of the legislature on 6 May 2009. Premier
Maureen Modiselle named him MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
Thandi Modise
Thandi Modise (born 25 December 1959) is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. She was previously the Premier of the North West from 2010 to 2014, Chairperson of the National Cou ...
was elected premier in November 2010, and she removed him from the post. The ANC then appointed him chief whip of the legislature. He served in the post from 2011 until his resignation in 2013 due to allegations of him abusing state funds. Within the ANC, Kegakilwe served as deputy provincial secretary and as acting provincial secretary. He ran for provincial secretary in November 2013 but lost to
Dakota Legoete.
In May 2014, he was
re-elected to a second term as an MPL, but he resigned from the legislature in January 2016. Kegakilwe returned to the legislature in May 2019. Premier
Job Mokgoro
Tebogo Job Mokgoro (born 15 May 1948) is a South African politician and academic who served as the 6th Premier of North West from June 2018 until his resignation in August 2021. He was a Member of the North West Provincial Legislature during that ...
named him the member of the Executive Council responsible for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs.
Death
On 5 July 2020, Kegakilwe was admitted to a medical facility in Vryburg after testing positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. He was transferred to a
Klerksdorp
Klerksdorp () is located in the North West Province, South Africa. Klerksdorp, the largest city in the North West Province, is located southeast of Mahikeng, the provincial capital. Klerksdorp was also the first capital of the then Transvaal Repu ...
hospital on 6 July but, due to complications from the virus, he suffered cardiac arrest and died. He was 53 years old. Various politicians, including national Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Human Settlements minister
Lindiwe Sisulu
Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu (born 10 May 1954) is a South African politician, member of parliament since 1994, and member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress currently serving as Minister of Tourism since August 20 ...
, paid tribute to Kegakilwe.
He is survived by his wife and six children.
References
External links
Mothibedi Gordon Kegakilwe – People's Assembly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kegakilwe, Gordon
1967 births
2020 deaths
21st-century South African politicians
African National Congress politicians
Members of the North West Provincial Legislature
University of the Free State alumni
University of the Witwatersrand alumni
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa