The ANC says they are shocked at the death of former co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Sicelo Shiceka - who died in the Umtata hospital in the Eastern Cape this morning - following a long illness.
Spokesperson Jackson Mthembu says they were informed by the family on Monday morning.
Shiceka was fired last year after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released a report which found that he had abused public funds.
Madonsela found Shiceka had racked up more than R1m in travel costs for himself, his staff and friends, in violation of the executive ethics code. This included a trip to Switzerland to see a girlfriend jailed on drug-related charges.
Shiceka denied any wrongdoing and had vowed to go to court to contest Madonsela's findings.
He had been on sick leave since February 2011.
