‘MEC Tate Makgoe was a humble person’

The late Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe has been described as a humble person who always gave good advice to his colleagues.  

MEC for Social Development Mamiki Qabathe, who worked with Makgoe for decades in the provincial government, says she’s still in shock and saddened by his death.  

Makgoe died in a crash on the N1 outside Winburg on his way from Johannesburg in early hours of Sunday morning.

His bodyguard, Vuyo Mdi also died when the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into two cows.

The driver Pule Nkopane was injured and taken to hospital.  

Qabathe says Makgoe also gave good advice. 

“Many people don’t know that I could have left the Free State, a long time ago. I was frustrated by a lot of things, I wanted to go and work in the Northern Cape, and I put him as one of the people who must be, my references, when I applied for the job in the Northern Cape, and he said to me, Mamiki I’m going to demotivate you, and I was angry; I couldn’t understand and he said to me, you’re one of the assets in the Free State. We’re not going to afford to lose you, and because of that, I stayed. I never knew that because of that advice, I would be what I am today. A very humble person, very brilliant, very intelligent, always giving good advice to people.” 

SABC News’ Kamogelo Seekoei reports from the scene of accident: