Political parties and several organisations on Thursday paid tribute to the late Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu, who died in hospital on Wednesday at the age of 54 after a battle with lung cancer.

President Cyril Ramaphosa mourned the AG’s loss on Wednesday evening during a national televised address on the state of Covid-19 in South Africa.

“During his term as auditor-general, Mr Makwetu served his country with dedication, with distinction and with integrity. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time of great sorrow,” Ramaphosa said.

The African National Congress (ANC) caucus in Parliament said on Wednesday that Makwetu’s dedication throughout his illness stood as testament to his selflessness.

ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina said they will miss Makwetu’s “unflinching support for women leadership”.

On behalf of the ruling ANC, national spokesperson Paul Mabe called Makwetu a “gallant servant”.

Mabe said the late AG was an exemplary gentleman who set the bar high with regard to clean governance.

National spokesperson for the Inkatha Freedom Party and chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) Mkhuleko Hlengwa took to Twitter to share his condolences.

“Words completely and utterly fail me. This is not the farewell we had envisaged. We have lost a patriot. Kimi Makwetu set the bar very high.

“He gave credibility to auditing, and in him there was integrity, trust and lessons in the manner he steered the AG office in its work,” Hlengwa said.

Workers’ union Nehawu commended Makwetu on his methods of good governance.

“Mr Makwetu served the people of South Africa with dedication, commitment and integrity.

“The fact that he continued to work while diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer proves beyond reasonable doubt his commitment to hold accountable those entrusted with power and the public purse,” said Nehawu national spokesperson Khaya Xaba in a statement on Thursday.

Xaba said he had once worked with Makwetu on corruption cases in the Northern Cape legislature.

“His work in exposing the rot that exists in state-owned enterprises, municipalities and other state entities was phenomenal; however (he) was let down by our government, which lacks teeth in dealing with those responsible for plundering state resources.”

The Black Management Forum (BMF), which focuses on the development of business leaders, said Makwetu served his nation with “distinction and integrity”.

BMF president Andile Nomlala said Makwetu was instrumental in building a culture of accountability and transparency.

“Makwetu remained a selfless and ethical leader whom we had the privilege of hosting at our CEOs Conversation webinar series this year, which forms part of BMF’s ongoing engagements with captains of industries to assess the impact of Covid-19 on their sectors and the economy overall,” Nomlala said in a statement on Thursday.

Despite the constant opposition to the ANC’s choices in state entity leadership, the Democratic Alliance (DA) also paid tribute to Makwetu.

“The DA salutes Makwetu’s service to his country and trusts that his legacy will have a lasting impression on all public servants and AGSA.

“Under his leadership, Makwetu oversaw and sought to protect the integrity and independence of the Office of the Auditor-General,” said DA member of the standing committee on the AG, Jan de Villiers.

Cape Town’s Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said Makwetu was a “principled and ethical leader”.

“Outgoing Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu’s service to South Africa is unparalleled in its commitment to the values of good governance and his determination to make the country accountable for public spending.

“It is a great pity that despite his and his staff’s work, the number of unqualified audits remains so high, and that so much money is wasted on expenditure which does not serve the common good.

“I call on all South Africans, and especially those running municipalities, to commit to serving all of our citizens with integrity,” the archbishop said on Thursday.

Makwetu, who was completing the final two weeks of his seven-year tenure at the Office of the AG, was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer in 2018 .

The Office of the AG confirmed his death on Wednesday afternoon.

“As the national audit office, we join the Makwetu family in mourning his death. We ask the public to keep the family in their thoughts as they come to terms with his passing, and to give them the privacy and space to deal with his passing,” the office said in a statement.

Makwetu was sworn in as the AG by former president Jacob Zuma for a seven-year term which would have ended on November 30. Makwetu will be replaced by the deputy auditor-general, Tsakani Maluleke.

Makwetu had recently been appointed to the United Nations’ independent audit advisory committee on November 6 during its fifth committee elections.