Lungile Pepeta (1974 – 7 August 2020) was a South African

paediatric Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Prev ...

cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

, medical researcher, university professor and activist who also served as the chairperson of the Council of Medical Schemes. Doctor Pepeta was regarded as one of the pioneers of the medical industry in South Africa especially for his crucial contributions regarding child health care. He also served as the executive

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

in the faculty of

Health Sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple a ...

Nelson Mandela University Nelson Mandela University, formerly Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, is a public university in South Africa. Established in 1882 as Port Elizabeth, Art School it comprises the former University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Tec ...

and was the former head of the paediatric department and paediatric cardiology at Dora Nginza Hospital.

Biography

Lungile Pepeta was born and raised in Bizana, in the former

Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

, where he spent most of his life.

Career

In 1997, Pepeta completed his

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...

at the

Walter Sisulu University Walter Sisulu University (WSU) is a university of technology and science located in Mthatha, East London (Buffalo City), Butterworth and Komani (Queenstown) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, which came into existence on 1 July 2005 as a resul ...

and obtained his diploma in child health care in 1999. He also completed a Master of medicine in

Paediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

from the

University of Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in ...

and was a fellowship holder of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. He qualified as a paediatrician in 2003, specialising in the field of paediatric cardiology since 2008. In 2009, he established Port Elizabeth's first paediatric cardiology unit at the provincial Dora Nginza Hospital and was appointed as head of the paediatrics department at Dora Nginza in 2010. He also introduced non invasive procedures to cure the heart disorders and defects such as

congenital heart disorder A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly, congenital cardiovascular malformation, and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital he ...

faced by children in the Eastern Cape. He also mentored and trained many doctors especially related to the field of paediatrics. In January 2017, he joined the faculty of

at the

in Port Elizabeth and became the executive dean of the faculty. He also became a member of the Council of Medical Schemes in November 2017. In June 2020, he was elected as the chairperson of the Council of Medical Schemes eventually replacing Clarence Mini who died on 12 May 2020 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. He was also roped in as a member of a 15-member jury panel of experts advising committee to the provincial government's COVID-19 taskforce.

Death

Pepeta was hospitalized at the Life St George's Hospital in June 2020, and was later revealed to have contracted the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

. He died on 7 August 2020, from

complications at the age of 46 during the

COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa was part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 5 March 2020, Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize had confirme ...

. Until his death, he served as chairman of CMS as well as the executive dean at Nelson Mandela University. He was pursuing a PhD in paediatrics from the

University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

prior to his death. The funeral was held with category 2 special official provincial respect on 12 August 2020, in Bizana.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pepeta, Lungile 1974 births 2020 deaths African and Black nationalists South African activists South African cardiologists South African philanthropists Stellenbosch University alumni Walter Sisulu University alumni South African medical researchers People from the Eastern Cape Academic staff of Nelson Mandela University Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa