The late Dr Wallace Mgoqi. Picture: Supplied
Nhono Mgoqi, the youngest daughter of the man once nominated for the position of South Africa's Chief Justice, has labelled her father as a legend.
Dr Wallace Mgoqi, who previously served as the city manager of Cape Town and the former chief land claims commissioner on the Restitution of Land Rights, died on Monday evening at Mediclinic Vergelegen in Somerset West in the Western Cape.
At the time of his death, he was the chairperson of Ayo Technology Solutions.
According to his daughter, Mgoqi underwent a medical procedure but "didn't survive it“ and took his last breath on Monday night.
She also indicated this was her father's second heart attack.
His first spell was in November last year, and Nhono said he was treated, recovered well and resumed his work.
"At the moment, the family is yet to meet. Once we are ready, we will release an official statement,“ she said.
Reflecting on her father's life, she said: "He was a legend. It is time for us to rise as a family and continue with his legacy."
She indicated that the family welcomed all the messages of condolences thus far and those wishing to visit the home were welcome to do so.
Mgoqi held three honorary doctorates from the University of Cape Town, Walter Sisulu University and New York University.
He was also a prolific writer.
In one of his last opinion pieces he wrote:
“Over the years, I have learnt that there is no such a thing as a free lunch. Whenever, someone offers you a free lunch, you must know that you have something so valuable that your host wants from you, whose worth is by far higher than the cost of the lunch.
“I will use this analogy in relation to our gullibility as an electorate , in the context of the periodic elections that take place."
"By the way it is not a South African phenomenon, but something universal all over the world. Nothing is valued by politicians as that little mark we make on the ballot paper on election day, for it is a gateway to prosperity for those who are in the party to rise in the world, in a way they would never ordinarily would have been able to."
"Some politicians become so crude as to even organize food parcels for the large number of the more impoverished members of society, to entice them to come to the voting stations and tables. Every five years this ritual, is repeated with politicians using the rhetoric of making things better, even as they evidently get worse, the voters still give them the vote, hoping for different results this time around."
IOL