GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Northern Cape Education MEC McCollen Ntsikelelo Jack (55) was laid to rest in his hometown, Graaff-Reinet, on Sunday.

Jack, known as Mac Jack, died on 12 August after being hospitalised for Covid-19. Jack was accorded a provincial funeral, which was limited to fewer than 50 people due to Covid-19 regulations.

Among those present were Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, Northern Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul, as well as members of the provincial executive council. The service was live-streamed online but was cut short due to technical difficulties.

In his eulogy, Saul said that the ANC and Northern Cape provincial government are poorer following the loss of Jack. "Our star faded. We are left heart-broken and completely distraught," Saul said. Eulogies by Jack's children were also read by the programme directors.

Jack, the seventh of eight children, was born in Graaff-Reinet on 8 March 1965. He attended Thembalesizwe Primary School, after which he attended Nqweba High School and moved to Fort Beaufort to complete his schooling.

Following his school career, Jack obtained a Teacher's Diploma and a diploma in Education Management. Through Wits University, he obtained a CPMD-Finance Certificate, a Certificate in Governance and Leadership and the Housing Policy Development Programme. In 2013 he completed an honours degree in Public Administration at Stellenbosch University.

Jack was elected as a member of the executive council responsible for education in the Northern Cape last year.

"He never forgot his roots," said Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality Mayor Deon de Vos in a statement. "May his soul rest in peace."

In a statement by the Northern Cape Education Department, Jack is remembered as a talented leader, as well as a loving and caring family man. "There is no doubt, that their loss is our loss," the statement read.

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