Tongan Minister for Fisheries Sēmisi Fakahau has died aged 74, reports say.
Former Minister of Internal Affairs Sangaster Saula has paid tribute to Fakahau on social media this morning.
His death comes after Fakahau was in Auckland for medical assistance in May. It is understood he returned to Tonga before his death.
He was the second Cabinet Minister to have died while serving the government after the former Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Viliami Hingano died in Auckland in June.
The news comes at a tough time for Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku after three of his cabinet ministers lost their parliamentary seats after Tonga’s Supreme Court dismissed their appeals over bribery convictions.
Fakahau was a Member of the PTOA Party when he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Tonga at the 2014 Tongan general election. He was appointed by the then Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva as Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries.
His portfolio was split in January 2019, with another Minister taking Agriculture, Food, and Forestry and Fakahau retaining Fisheries.
Following the death of ʻAkilisi he was not appointed to the cabinet of Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa.
He was re-elected in the 2021 election and in December that year he was appointed to the Cabinet of Hu’akavameiliku as Minister of Fisheries.
Meanwhiles, people from Tongatapu 4, 6 and 7 electorates will head to the polls next week to vote in by elections to replace the three Cabinet Minsters who lost their seats after their bribery convictions.
