GABORONE, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Former vice-president of Botswana Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe passed away at the age of 78 Wednesday morning, according to a statement released by the Permanent Secretary to the President.
The statement didn't announce the cause Merafhe's death.
The statement called Merafhe as "the nation's outstanding statesman", saying that he remained a model public servant whose various contributions to Botswana's progress will be remembered for generations to come.
The retired Lieutenant-General served several ministerial posts through his career in government.
Merafhe was born in 1936 in Serowe, east of Botswana. He was the country's minister of foreign affairs from 1994 to 2008. He was then appointed as the vice president when current President Ian Khama took office in 2008 and served until his retirement in 2012 due to ill health.
Early 2011, Merafhe was briefly admitted at Bokamoso Private Hospital, situated some few kilometers on the outskirts of the country's capital Gaborone while seeking medical attention for an undisclosed ailment.
After a few days following his admission at a local hospital, Merafhe was airlifted to South Africa for further medical attention.
