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It is with sadness that we have to inform social partners and the public that Kumaran Naidoo, a senior civil servant, has passed away in the early hours of this morning, following a period in hospital.

Kumaran Naidoo served the public and the government of South Africa with great distinction.

He was employed as a Group Chief Financial Officer (Deputy Director General level) in the Department of Trade and Industry from which position he was seconded to support the Economic Development Department.

Over the past year, he served as acting Director General of the Economic Development Department, where he provided leadership and support in the work of the Department and Ministry on jobs, youth empowerment, social dialogue, industrial funding and competition issues.

He was actively involved in anti-apartheid struggles and campaigns in KwaZulu Natal in the 1980s and his family was hounded by the security police because of his activities.

He completed his B.Com degree at the University of KwaZuluNatal.

During an illustrious career, he turned around the Legal Aid Board (now Legal Aid SA), worked for the dti, served as Chief of Staff for a period in the Economic Development Ministry and as Chief Executive Officer of a micro-finance public agency SAMAF, where he prepared the groundwork for it to amalgamate to form the Small Enterprise Finance Agency.

He served on the board of the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone as a representative of the dti, where he played a key role to enable the Zone to prepare itself for new investors.

During his year at EDD as acting Director General, he improved the departmentâ•˙s systems and oversaw the completion of the Annual Performance Plan for 2015/16, where he worked closely with Minister Patel and Deputy Minister Masuku.

He is survived by his partner, a son, a daughter, his mother, four siblings and his grand-daughter.

We remember a friend, a colleague and a fighter for social justice.

The funeral will take place between 15:00 and 16:00 on 13 April 2016 at Hall 2 at the Clare Estate Crematorium.

Hamba kahle Kumaran Naidoo.

Statement jointly issued by Minister Ebrahim Patel (Economic Development) and Minister Rob Davies (Trade & Industry)