By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) is mourning the passing of former MEC of Health and Gauteng Provincial Legislature Chief Whip Thamsanqa Brian Hlongwa.
Fullview learnt that Hlongwa passed away on Tuesday, 23 December 2025 due to illness.
In a statement, “the ANC Gauteng Spokesperson Mzi Khumalo, said comrade Brian was an astute and seasoned political educator, who also served at the OR Tambo School of Leadership as a manager dealing with political education programmes.”
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives, comrades and friends, said Khumalo.”
Hlongwa the ANC’s Chief Whip in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature until October 2018, when he resigned amid a corruption scandal relating to his tenure as Health MEC.
Hlongwa and his co-accused were facing more than 250 counts, including racketeering, fraud, corruption, benefitting from the proceeds of crime and money laundering.
The case relates to allegations 3P Consulting, owned by Hlongwa’s associate Richard Payne, and various linked entities were awarded R1.2 billion worth of government contracts in exchange for kickbacks.
The legal advocacy nonprofit Section27 released a 122-page SIU report into alleged corruption at the Gauteng health department between 1 January 2006 to 14 May 2010. Hlongwa was Gauteng’s Health MEC from 2006 to 2009.
The report was handed over to former President Jacob Zuma in March 2017 but only made public after Section27 obtained it via a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request. The SIU report found that more than R1.2-billion was lost to graft during his tenure.