Makwetu passed away in hospital of stage 4 lung cancer as he neared the end of his term.
The outgoing Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu has passed away in hospital. He had stage four lung cancer, his office confirmed in a statement today.
In his address to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said:
"During his time as auditor-general, Mr Makwetu served this country with dedication, distinction, and with great integrity. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time of great sorrow."
Kimi was born in Cape Town and completed a social sciences degree at the University of Cape Town in 1989. He received a B.Compt honours degree from the University of Natal in 1997 and was a qualified chartered accountant.
He started his career with Standard Bank and later worked at Nampak. He completed his articles at Delotte, where he progressed to senior management before joining Liberty and Metropolitan Life in Cape Town. He moved to Gauteng in 2003 where he worked at Liberty Life.
Kimi returned to Deloitte as a director in the firm's forensic unit before his appointment as deputy auditor general at the Auditor-General of South Africa.
In December 2013, former President Jacob Zuma appointed Kimi as the auditor-general.
Makwetu's term as Auditor-General would have come to an end in December, and he will be succeeded by current deputy Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke.
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