South Africa’s former Deputy President, David Mabuza, has passed on at the age of 64

David Dabede Mabuza, South Africa’s former Deputy President, has passed on at the age of 64, the Presidency announced on Thursday. According to an official statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mabuza passed on the 3rd July 2025 at a hospital in Mpumalanga after a short illness.

Mabuza served as the nation’s Deputy President from February 2018 to February 2023 and was a key power-broker in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), credited with helping Ramaphosa secure a narrow victory in the party’s 2017 leadership contest. He was also a former Premier of Mpumalanga province and started his career as a schoolteacher, before rising through the political ranks of the ANC.

The news of his death has prompted an outpouring of condolences and reflections on his impactful yet at times controversial political life.

Early Life and Rise in Politics

Born on 25 August 1960 in rural Mpumalanga, Mabuza began his professional life as a teacher and school principal, earning a teaching diploma in 1985 and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1989.

He became active in politics in the 1980s through student movements aligned with the Black Consciousness ideology and the anti-apartheid United Democratic Front, while also leading a regional teachers’ union during the turbulent final years of apartheid. After South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, Mathews Phosa, then Premier of Mpumalanga, appointed Mabuza as the province’s inaugural MEC (Member of Executive Council) for Education.

Over the next decade, Mabuza went on to hold various portfolios in the Mpumalanga provincial government, including Housing, Roads and Transport, and Agriculture – gaining administrative experience and influence within ANC structures.

By 2008, Mabuza had become the ANC’s provincial chairperson in Mpumalanga, and the following year he was elected Premier of the province, a post he would hold until 2018. A close ally of President Jacob Zuma during this period, Mabuza was known for expanding the ANC’s power base in Mpumalanga; under his leadership the province’s delegation to ANC national conferences grew markedly, enhancing his clout in internal party politics.

This growing influence set the stage for Mabuza’s emergence on the national scene in the lead-up to the ANC’s pivotal 54th National Conference in 2017.

Deputy Presidency

Mabuza played a decisive role at the ANC’s 2017 conference, where his support helped swing a tightly contested vote in favoUr of Cyril Ramaphosa’s bid for the party presidency. In the aftermath of that victory, Ramaphosa became South Africa’s president and appointed Mabuza as the country’s Deputy President in February 2018, following Jacob Zuma’s resignation.

Mabuza also served as Deputy President of the ANC during this time (2017–2022), effectively making him Ramaphosa’s second-in-command in both party and state.

During his tenure as Deputy President, Mabuza was entrusted with a broad portfolio of responsibilities. He was the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, charged with coordinating the executive’s legislative agenda, and chaired several inter-ministerial committees, notably on land reform, agriculture, and service delivery.

In these roles, he oversaw the implementation of key land reform recommendations (including the establishment of a new Land Court and related policies) and coordinated anti-poverty and rural development programs. Mabuza additionally led the South African National AIDS Council and frequently represented South Africa in international forums, bolstering diplomatic ties with the country’s partners.

Known for his low-key, behind-the-scenes style, Mabuza’s approach in office was described as steady and pragmatic. The ANC later noted that his term as deputy president was marked by “a calm and steady hand,” highlighting how he often acted as a bridge-builder fostering unity between different factions in government and within the ANC.

In early 2023, after new ANC leadership was elected at the party’s December 2022 conference, Mabuza tendered his resignation as Deputy President to make way for his successor (a transition handled with little fanfare). He subsequently retreated from the public eye, re-emerging briefly to campaign for the ANC in the 2024 general elections.

Controversies and Challenges

Despite his high office, Mabuza’s political career was dogged by persistent allegations of corruption and wrongdoing, especially stemming from his years in Mpumalanga.

The province was blighted by a violent struggle for resources and patronage, including a spate of political assassinations that claimed the lives of several whistleblowers who had exposed corrupt deals. The most high-profile case was the 2009 murder of Jimmy Mohlala, a local official who had blown the whistle on graft in the construction of the 2010 World Cup stadium in Nelspruit.

Although no direct evidence implicated Mabuza, his political rivals frequently insinuated that he was linked to such incidents and other irregular tender dealings. Mabuza vehemently denied any involvement in these crimes, and he was never charged; in 2015 he even went so far as to open a criminal case to challenge those accusing him of being behind assassinations.

Earlier in his career, Mabuza had also faced scandal. In 1998, while serving as Mpumalanga’s Education MEC, he was dismissed after a probe revealed that the province’s high school pass rates had been fraudulently inflated under his watch, a scandal that embarrassed the new government.

Later, as his prominence grew, Mabuza himself became the target of apparent political attacks. He claimed to have survived a poisoning attempt in 2015 and thereafter nicknamed himself “The Cat” for his ability to survive dangers that would politically kill others.

The incident saw Mabuza secretly travel to Moscow for specialized medical treatment, a trip that only came to light much later and fuelled speculation about both his health and his political alliances. These controversies earned Mabuza a reputation as a wily and formidable operator, one with alleged “nine lives,” even as none of the allegations were ever proven in court.

Legacy and Reactions

In the wake of his passing, Mabuza is being remembered as a complex but influential figure who left a significant imprint on South African politics.

The ANC, his lifelong political home, praised him as “a dedicated servant of the people” and a stalwart of the democratic struggle. The party’s official statement lauded Mabuza’s rise from grassroots activism to high office, calling his journey “a life committed to the liberation and upliftment of the people”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in mourning his former deputy, said “the former deputy president deserves our appreciation for his deep commitment to the liberation struggle and to the nation’s development as an inclusive, prosperous, democratic state.” 

Ramaphosa’s office also highlighted Mabuza’s contributions to nation-building, noting how he helped shape South Africa’s engagement both domestically and abroad during his time in office.

Messages of condolence and reflection have come from across the political spectrum. Fikile Mbalula, the ANC’s Secretary-General, reflected that “Comrade Mabuza dedicated his life to the service of the people of South Africa”, emphasizing his decades of public service from the anti-apartheid struggle through to government.

Opposition parties have also paid respects. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) acknowledged that while Mabuza never realised any ambition to become president himself, “he never placed personal ambition above the duties of his office” and notably “bowed out of public office with grace and a clear sense of duty” when he found himself out of favour politically.

Tributes from colleagues and mentees have further humanized his legacy: Thulani Mdakane, who served as Mabuza’s advisor, recounted that Mabuza was not only a politician but also a mentor figure,“a true leader, very kind and very patient in teaching us how to serve people”.

As South Africa reflects on David Mabuza’s life, many are acknowledging both the achievements and controversies that defined his career, and the enduring influence he had within the ANC and the country at large.

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Sources: South African Government News & Statements; Reuters; Associated Press; News24; SA History Online. Article created as a mix between human reporters, writers, bloggers and digital tools