Pretoria – Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has expressed his condolences after the passing of his chief of staff Percy Mthimkhulu.
Announcing his passing on Monday, the family of Mthimkhulu said he “died peacefully in his sleep”.
Family Representative Mduduzi Mbada said: “It is with profound sadness and shock that we announce the passing of our brother and comrade Percy ‘Lenin’ Mthimkhulu this morning. Mthimkhulu died peacefully in his sleep.”
A statement from the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday said: “It is with great sadness that Minister Enoch Godongwana confirms the tragic and untimely passing of Mr. Percy Mthimkhulu, who served as his Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Finance since August 2021.”
The statement added: “Minister Godongwana offers his condolences, and those of the Ministry and the National Treasury, to the Mthimkhulu family”.
A native of Zola, Soweto, Mthimkhulu was born on 7 June 1973 and leaves behind his sister Jabu, his young daughter Tatyana.
At the time of his passing, Mthimkhulu was the Chief of Staff for Finance Minister Godongwana, having prior been a speechwriter for four Premiers as well as a Minister.
Recently he was part of the team that wrote the ANC’s Covid-19 Economic Reconstruction Document, the South African Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan and the South African Tourism Recovery Plan.
He was also a member of the technical team supporting the ANC’s NEC Economic Transformation Subcommittee.
Mthimkhulu cut his professional teeth as a graduate trainee at Business Day and Financial Mail where he went on to spend five years rising through the ranks to become a senior editor in the investment section, responsible for producing high-quality stories and analysis on leading JSE-listed companies.
In 2022, Mthimkhulu graduated with an MPhil Degree in Development Finance from the University of Stellenbosch Business School.
Among his qualifications include a BCom Honours degree (Economics), certificates in Economic Journalism (issued by BDFM Publishers) and an Applied Economics on-line course with the University of Cape Town.
An activist and astute leader, Mthimkhulu held various positions in the youth movement including being the Deputy Chairperson of the South African Students’ Congress (SASCO) for the Southern Transvaal Region.
“On behalf of the family, we request the public to keep them in their thoughts as they come to terms with Mthimkhulu’s passing and to give them privacy and space,” Mbada said.
“When they are ready, details on the prayer, memorial and funeral services will be shared.”
