Joe Maila‚ the spokesperson for Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has died‚ the ministry announced on Friday.
"It is true that he has died‚" health department spokesperson Popo Maja told TimesLIVE.
A statement issued by the ministry did not shed any light on the cause of his death.
"He passed on yesterday evening‚" Motsoaledi said in a statement.
"The circumstances surrounding his death are not yet known to the Ministry‚" he added‚ appealing for the Maila family to be given a chance to deal with the news.
Maila had a long history of communication within government.
According to his LinkedIn profile‚ he first worked as a communication officer for the Department of Labour in 1996.
He later moved on to be the spokesperson for the Department of Health in Limpopo before moving to the Department of Safety‚ Security & Liaison.
He had served as a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health since May 2012.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Details for his memorial service and funeral would be announced at a later stage.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
