Collins Chabane, South African minister for public service, and two of his aides have lost their lives in a road crash in the north-eastern city of Polokwane.
The car in which the deceased was travelling collided with a truck.
The South African Press Association quoted the police as saying that the truck driver, who was not injured, has been arrested and would be charged for negligent killing.
An ally of President Jacob Zuma, Chabane was previously the minister in charge of performance monitoring and evaluation at the presidency.
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He was also in charge of the late Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
Reacting, Zuma said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by his friend’s untimely death.
Describing it as “a huge loss to government and the country as a whole”. he extended “heartfelt condolences” to Chabane’s wife Mavis and the families of Lesiba Sekele and Lawrence Lentsoane, the aides who also died in the accident.
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On its part, the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in the country, said: “The falling of a great baobab tree would leave a huge void in the ANC and government.”
Chabane joined the ANC underground as a 17-year-old.
He was arrested under the apartheid regime in 1984 and jailed for six years on terrorism charges.
In prison, he studied aviation, achieved a degree in engineering and learned music theory.
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After his release, he was elected to parliament in 1994.
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