Pretoria – The late Public Service and Administration Minister Collins Chabane will be afforded a special funeral service, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe announced at a special media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday.
Minister Chabane died in a car accident in the early hours of Sunday morning with two of his protectors, Sgt Lesiba Sekele and Sgt Lawrence Lentsoane.
The Minister’s vehicle was traveling on the N1 in a northerly direction towards the south, outside of Polokwane, when a truck which was driving in the same direction in the left lane in front of them decided to make a U - turn.
“It was at that point that the Minister's vehicle drove into the truck,” said Minister Radebe.
He said the driver of the truck had been arrested for negligent driving, although he could not confirm allegations that he had been under the influence of alcohol or had other previous charges of negligent driving.
“During this difficult time, on behalf of President [Jacob] Zuma, government and its people, we want to extend our sincere condolences to the Chabane, Lentsoane and Sekele families, friends and all South Africans who knew him,” he said.
Minister Radebe said Minister Chabane was a humble, disciplined, passionate and dedicated member of the Executive.
“He was truly devoted to his work of improving the lives of the people of South Africa and was an intellectual giant with a great understanding of what we had to do to free our people from poverty.”
He said as a dedicated serving Minister, Minister Chabane will be accorded a special official funeral. Details of which will be communicated soon.
Minister Radebe said Minister Chabane never lost contact with his roots as he met his untimely death while returning from the funeral of a local Chief - Albert Magona of Malamulele - in his home village in Limpopo.
According to Minister Radebe, President Jacob Zuma, after being informed of Minister Chabane's passing this morning, expressed his deep shock at the untimely death of a competent, accomplished, dedicated and dependable member of his Cabinet.
“President Zuma views the death of Minister Chabane as a huge loss to the government and the country as a whole.”
Prior to being appointed Minister of Public Service and Administration in 2014, Minister Chabane was Minister in the Presidency responsible for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation.
He was responsible for the establishment of the performance monitoring and evaluation function in the Presidency.
During his tenure in the Presidency, he supported the President in monitoring the performance of government including the introduction of performance agreements between Ministers and the President. He was also the Minister responsible for the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).
He distinguished himself as a Member of the Executive Council, receiving an award for his administrative role in the Limpopo Provincial Administration. He also served as the Member of the Executive Council for Public Works and later Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in Limpopo.
Minister Chabane also served as a member of the National Executive of the ANC since 1991 and from 2007 was elected to the National Working Committee.
He was a keen golfer and a recorded musician with his group Movement. He was honoured for his contribution to indigenous music by the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO).
Minister Chabane is survived by his wife, Mavis Chabane, and two children.
*Click here to view our online tribute to Minister Chabane. – SAnews.gov.za
