Former trade and industry deputy minister Elizabeth Thabethe has died after being involved in a car accident. She was 62.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thabethe died on Friday.

Thabethe was recently appointed as a member of the presidential advisory committee on investment.

Ramaphosa described her as a champion of economic transformation.

“As government and the nation we mourn the passing of a leader and campaigner who served her political movement, the Gauteng legislature, the National Assembly and various economic portfolios in government with distinction and determination.

“She was a champion of economic transformation and equity, who worked tirelessly in our country and internationally in pursuit of economic inclusion and shared prosperity,” he said.

The president said her contribution to the country would endure in the networks she built in support of the nation's economic objectives.

“It also lives on in the work opportunities, new enterprises and growing investment flows that are making a difference in the lives of millions of South Africans,” he said.

He conveyed condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and comrades of Thabethe.

“She will be greatly missed by the many structures on which she brought her passion and wisdom to bear during a lifetime devoted to the betterment of the lives of all South Africans,” he added.

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