Leader of the African National Congress (ANC)’s now-disbanded uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veteran’s Association (MKMVA) Kebby Maphatsoe died at his home in Meyersdal on Tuesday.
His brother Joseph said that his death had come as a great shock to the family. His wife confirmed that on checking him in his room, she found him unresponsive.
“The paramedics arrived and they certified him. They said that he had a hiccup problem and the paramedics declared him dead, the cause was a cardiac failure caused by this hiccup which had been a problem for the past six months,” Joseph said.
Maphatose was a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from 2019 till his death from COVID-19 in 2021. He once served from May 2009 to May 2019, when he lost his seat, however, he returned to the National Assembly after Jeff Radebe resigned his seat.
He served as a Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans in the cabinet of South African president Jacob Zuma from 2014 to 2019.
He was implicated in the current state capture probes and militarising the MKMVA, most notably deploying men in their mid-30s outside Luthuli House. The young men could not possibly be Military Veterans or served in the ANC training camps throughout Southern Africa.