Pretoria – Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has paid tribute to the former Deputy Minister of Social Development, Bongi Maria Ntuli, following her passing on Saturday.
"Personally, I have lost a good comrade, who was humble and loyal... She had the utmost respect for me as her Minister, even though she was older than me," said Minister Dlamini.
MaNtuli, as she was fondly known, succumbed to heart failure on Saturday on arrival at the Pretoria Heart Hospital after her children noted that she was not well.
Ntuli participated in the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) and was a member of Parliament since 1994, where she served in various committees, including the joint committee on the improvement of quality of life and status of women, and the portfolio committee on trade and industry.
In 2009, she was appointed as one of two Deputy Ministers of Trade and Industry. In 2010, she was deployed to the Department of Social Development as Deputy Minister, where she served until 2014.
She held a Bachelor of Commerce in Information Systems. At 71, she obtained her Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy from the University of the Western Cape.
Ntuli is survived by her daughter and two sons. – SAnews.gov.za
