David Dabede "DD" Mabuza (born 25 August 1960) is a South African politician who has been
Deputy President of South Africa
The deputy president of South Africa is the deputy to the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa and is a member of the National Assembly and the Cabinet. The deputy president is constitutionally required to "assi ...
since February 2018. He was the Deputy President of the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the
Premier of Mpumalanga
The Premier of Mpumalanga is the head of government of Mpumalanga province in South Africa. The current Premier of Mpumalanga is Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, a member of the African National Congress, who was appointed in March 2018. She took off ...
from 2009 to 2018, throughout
the presidency of his former political ally
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...
.
A native of rural
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...
and a teacher by training, Mabuze's initial engagement in politics was through the
Black Consciousness movement
The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Afri ...
, while he was a student, and then through
teachers' unions; he was chairperson of the
South African Democratic Teachers Union
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) is the largest trade union for teachers in South Africa. It is allied to the African National Congress and is an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
History
The ...
, an affiliate of the influential
Congress of South African Trade Unions
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions ...
, from 1988 to 1991. After the end of
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
in 1994, he joined the
Mpumalanga provincial legislature
The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature (MPL), previously known as the Eastern Transvaal Legislature, is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Mpumalanga.
The First Legislature was inaugurated in May 1994 as the Eastern Tr ...
as an ANC representative and took up a series of ministerial posts in the Mpumalanga
Executive Council. He was elected to the ANC
National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties:
* National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa
* Australian Labor Party National Executive
* Nationa ...
for the first time in 2007 and was
ANC provincial chairperson in Mpumalanga from 2008 to 2017, throughout his premiership.
Mabuza's politics have been described as
populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
. Through a rigorous recruitment drive, he increased the size and influence of the Mpumalanga branch of the ANC and, with
Ace Magashule
Elias Sekgobelo "Ace" Magashule (born 3 November 1959) is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who was Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC) until his suspension on 3 May 2021. He served as the Premier ...
and
Supra Mahumapelo
Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo is a South African politician and musician. He served as the Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress North West Provincial Leadership from 2011 until August 2018. He previously served as Speaker ...
, was part of the so-called Premier League that helped engineer the outcome of the ANC's
54th National Conference. At the conference, held in December 2017, Mabuza was elected Deputy President of the ANC, serving under
Cyril Ramaphosa
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
. When Ramaphosa ascended to the national presidency after Zuma's resignation in February 2018, he appointed Mabuza to succeed him as national Deputy President.
Early life and career
David Dabede Mabuza was born on 25 August 1960 at
Phola near
Hazyview
Hazyview is a sub-tropical farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa, renowned for its large banana and macadamia nut industries, contributing about 20% of South Africa's bananas and 30% of macadamia output. Bordering the Kruger National Park, the ...
in what became
Mpumalanga province.
His parents were farmers.
He
matriculated
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
at Khumbula High School, also in Mpumalanga.
He earned a teaching diploma, specialising in
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
education, from the Mgwenya College of Education in 1985; he was also secretary of the
Black Consciousness
The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-Apartheid Activism, activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the power vacuum, political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African Nationa ...
-aligned Azania Student Organisation (AZASO) from 1984 to 1985.
While studying at the
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...
for his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
, which he earned in 1989, he began work as a schoolteacher.
He taught at
KaNgwane
KaNgwane () was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a semi-independent homeland for the Swazi people. It was called the "Swazi Territorial Authority" from 1976 to 1977. In September 1977 it was renamed KaNgwan ...
Department of Education from 1986 to 1988 and was
Principal of Lungisani Secondary School, also in Mpumalanga, from 1989 to 1993.
He also continued his political engagements: he was chairperson of the National Education Union of South Africa from 1986 to 1988, treasurer of Foundation for Education with Production from 1986 to 1990, and a co-ordinator of the National Education Crisis Committee from 1987 to 1989.
According to journalist
Ferial Haffajee
Ferial Haffajee (born 20 February 1967) is a South African journalist and newspaper editor. Haffajee was editor of '' City Press'' newspaper from July 2009 until July 2016 and was previously the editor of the ''Mail & Guardian'' newspaper.
Haf ...
,
Mathews Phosa recruited Mabuza into the
United Democratic Front in 1986.
From 1988 to 1991, in the penultimate phase of
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, he chaired the
South African Democratic Teachers Union
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) is the largest trade union for teachers in South Africa. It is allied to the African National Congress and is an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
History
The ...
, an affiliate of the influential
Congress of South African Trade Unions
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions ...
.
Rise to the Deputy Presidency
Mpumalanga Executive Council: 1994
After South Africa's
first democratic elections in 1994, Mathews Phosa, the inaugural
Premier of Mpumalanga
The Premier of Mpumalanga is the head of government of Mpumalanga province in South Africa. The current Premier of Mpumalanga is Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, a member of the African National Congress, who was appointed in March 2018. She took off ...
, appointed Mabuza his
Member of the Executive Council
In South Africa, the Executive Council of a province is the cabinet of the provincial government. The Executive Council consists of the Premier and five to ten other members,'' Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996'', Chapter 6: "P ...
(MEC) for Education in the
provincial government of Mpumalanga. Mabuza served in that position until 1998, when Phosa fired him after a scandal in which it emerged that the province's 1998
matric
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...
results had been
fraudulently inflated by twenty
percentage points
A percentage point or percent point is the unit (measurement), unit for the Difference (mathematics), arithmetic difference between two percentages. For example, moving up from 40 percent to 44 percent is an increase of 4 percentage points, but a ...
.
Pursuant to the
1999 general election, Mabuza was elected to the
Mpumalanga provincial legislature
The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature (MPL), previously known as the Eastern Transvaal Legislature, is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Mpumalanga.
The First Legislature was inaugurated in May 1994 as the Eastern Tr ...
and was reappointed to the provincial executive under Premier
Ndaweni Mahlangu
Ndaweni Mahlangu was the former Premier of Mpumalanga in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along th ...
, serving as MEC for Housing between 1999 and 2001.
In 2001, he left his provincial positions to serve a three-year stint in the national
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
; he returned to the Mpumalanga legislature from 2004 to 2007.
During this period, he became known to the province's civil servants as "the Hurricane",
"for his sporadic ireful outbursts when things go wrong".
Over the same period, Mabuza ascended through the provincial ranks of his political party, the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC). He was Chairperson of the
Nelspruit
Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...
regional branch of the ANC from 1994 to 1998 and a member of the
ANC Provincial Executive Committee in Mpumalanga from 1998 to 2006; he became provincial Deputy Chairperson of the ANC in Mpumalanga in 1999
and again in 2005,
though in the interim he lost a 2002 election for the position of provincial Secretary.
The ''
Mail & Guardian
The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cultu ...
'' said that he used his time in the national Parliament to build national political networks in the ANC.
He also reportedly ingratiated himself with two successive provincial chairpersons – Mahlangu and his successor
Thabang Makwetla
Thabang Sampson Makwetla MP (, born 18 May 1957) is a South African politician affiliated with the African National Congress (ANC). He is a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa and is the current Deputy Minister of Defence and Milita ...
– by campaigning for them and positioning himself as their deputy, while planning as early as 2005 to run for the provincial chair himself in 2008.
ANC National Executive: 2007
Ahead of the ANC's so-called
Polokwane conference in December 2007, Mabuza supported
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...
's successful campaign to replace incumbent
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
as President of the ANC.
At the conference, Mabuza himself was elected for the first time to the ANC's
National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties:
* National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa
* Australian Labor Party National Executive
* Nationa ...
, the top executive organ of the party.
![Jacob Zuma 2014 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Jacob_Zuma_2014_%28cropped%29.jpg)
After the Polokwane conference, he returned to the provincial executive once more: he was MEC for Road and Transport from 2007 to 2008, Leader of Government Business in the provincial legislature in 2007, and MEC for Agriculture and Land Administration from 2008 to 2009.
ANC Provincial Chairperson: 2008
In August 2008, he was elected provincial ANC Chairperson in Mpumalanga, beating Lassy Chiwayo with 388 votes to Chiwayo's 305.
He and an informal
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
of allies, who were also elected to the party's provincial executive, ran an "Mpumalanga First" campaign that was described as
populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
and
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
insofar as it entailed castigating Mabuza's predecessors for giving government jobs to people from outside the province, especially from urban
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
.
The campaign was supported by local branches of the
ANC Youth League
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NW ...
,
South African National Civics Organisation
The South African National Civics Organisation or South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) is an umbrella political organisation in South Africa. It was founded in March 1992 to coordinate among existing civic organisations, which had be ...
, and
Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association.
Mabuza's victory was also linked in some analyses to his support for Zuma: his predecessor, Makwetla, was one of several pro-Mbeki provincial chairs who were replaced with pro-Zuma figures during that period. Others, however, thought the Zuma–Mbeki rivalry was irrelevant in Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga Premier: 2009
As provincial Chairperson, Mabuza became the ANC's presumptive candidate for Premier in the
2009 general election. On 6 May 2009, after the ANC won the election, the ANC caucus in the provincial legislature elected him Premier of Mpumalanga. For much of the next decade, Mabuza held both positions concurrently: he remained Premier until February 2018, and he chaired the ANC in the province until 2017, winning re-election in 2012 despite an attempt to unseat him.
The ''
Business Day
A business day means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, or any day which is a legal holiday or any day on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.
The definition of a business day ...
'' said in 2018 that he had "run Mpumalanga with an iron fist".
Among other things, he centralised decision-making power in his office through the so-called Rapid Implementation Unit.
He was also well known for his initiative to construct a handful of large
boarding schools
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
in the province's rural areas.
Premier League
Mabuza maintained his support for Zuma, who had been
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
as
President of South Africa
The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Nationa ...
in 2009; he endorsed Zuma for re-election to the ANC presidency ahead of the party's
53rd National Conference, saying, "Hands off our president". At that conference, held in December 2012, Zuma was re-elected but Mabuza himself did not secure direct re-election to the ANC National Executive Committee; however, he remained an
ex officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
member of the committee in his capacity as a provincial chairperson.
In the mid-2010s, Mabuza launched a successful campaign to expand the ANC's membership in Mpumalanga. Between 2012 and 2017, Mpumalanga, one of South Africa's smaller provinces, jumped from being the ANC's fourth-largest region to being its second-largest (behind
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
).
This meant that the province would be allocated more voting delegates at the ANC's future
National Conferences, and would therefore have more influence over leadership selection and policy determination in the party.
According to journalist,
Norimitsu Onishi
is a Japanese Canadian journalist. He is a Paris correspondent for the ''New York Times'', after holding the position as Bureau Chief in Johannesburg, Jakarta, Tokyo and Abidjan.
He was a member of ''The New York Times'' reporting team that r ...
, Mabuza "attracted legions of new A.N.C. members with government contracts, cash handouts and even
KFC
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
meals", but some of his opponents claimed that the Mpumalanga leadership had artificially inflated its membership figures.
Mabuza shared both tactics – his outspoken support for Zuma and his drive to increase provincial ANC membership – with two other provincial ANC leaders,
Supra Mahumapelo
Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo is a South African politician and musician. He served as the Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress North West Provincial Leadership from 2011 until August 2018. He previously served as Speaker ...
of the
North West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and
Ace Magashule
Elias Sekgobelo "Ace" Magashule (born 3 November 1959) is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who was Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC) until his suspension on 3 May 2021. He served as the Premier ...
of the
Free State.
The informal alliance between Mabuza, Mahumapelo, and Magashule – although they denied it existed – led journalists to begin calling them the "Premier League", because all three were the
Premiers
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
of their respective provinces.
Alleged poisoning
In September 2015, Mabuza collapsed and fell ill. Although it was initially reportedly that he was suffering from severe
fatigue
Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...
or a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
,
he told ''
City Press'' that he had been
poisoned.
Vusi Shongwe acted as Premier while Mabuza took two months' leave to recover from his illness.
Upon his return, he gave himself the nickname "The Cat" for his ability to survive attacks by his opponents.
It later emerged that Mabuza had travelled to a state hospital in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in October 2015 to receive specialised medical treatment, and that he had travelled there on a
private jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
owned by the
Gupta family
The Gupta family is a wealthy Indian-born family with business interests in South Africa, whose most notable members are brothers Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh "Tony" Gupta—as well as Atul's nephews Varun, and US-based Ashish and Amol. The family ow ...
, which at that time was alleged to be involved in
state capture under the
Zuma administration. A spokesman explained, "The premier was gravely ill and was not in a position to easily walk or carry himself on to a
national airline
A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
Hist ...
". According to Mabuza, the use of the Guptas' jet had been offered to him by
Duduzane Zuma, President Zuma's son, who was a business associate of the Guptas. He said that he did not have any other relationship with the family and that the favour would not create a
conflict of interest
A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations i ...
.
ANC Deputy Presidency: 2017
Ahead of the
54th National Conference of the ANC, which would elect Zuma's successor to the ANC presidency, Mabuza and the other members of the Premier League were viewed as the primary "kingmakers", both because of the large number of voting delegates allocated to their provinces and because of their apparent influence over the votes of the
ANC Women's League
The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is an auxiliary women's political organization of the African National Congress, African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa. This organization has its precedent in the Bantu Women's League ...
and Youth League.
Mabuza, with the second-largest number of delegates, was viewed as particularly powerful, especially as he declined to endorse whole-heartedly either of the two frontrunners,
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and
Cyril Ramaphosa
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
. Initially, Mabuza was assumed to support Dlamini-Zuma, who had the endorsement of President Zuma, her ex-husband. This was especially plausible because the other Premier League members were aligned to her and because her supporters seemed to view Mabuza as her informal running mate.
However, his commitment to the Dlamini-Zuma campaign became less certain as the conference approached,
and Mabuza "play
dboth sides".
Instead, he launched what he referred to as a campaign for "unity" in the ANC: indeed, he reportedly encouraged ANC members in Mpumalanga not to nominate presidential candidates but instead to vote for "unity";
about a third of them apparently
spoiled their ballots by writing the word "unity" across them.
The unity campaign gave Mabuza leverage with both frontrunners.
In the week of the conference, he was described as the conference's "wild card"
and "most powerful man",
with the most power to sway the ultimate outcome. He had also received strong support for his candidacy for the deputy presidency and the ''Business Day'' expected him to be elected as ANC Deputy President regardless of which side prevailed in the presidential race.
When the conference began, on 18 December, it was announced that Ramaphosa had won the presidency and Mabuza the deputy presidency. He had beaten
Lindiwe Sisulu
Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu (born 10 May 1954) is a South African politician, member of parliament since 1994, and member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress currently serving as Minister of Tourism since August 20 ...
, Ramaphosa's running mate, by 2,538 votes to Sisulu's 2,159.
In fact, of all the so-called Top Six leaders elected, Mabuza had won both the most branch nominations
and the most votes.
In the aftermath, the ANC Women's League, which had strongly supported Dlamini-Zuma, said that Mabuza had "outsmarted" and betrayed them.
At the conference, Mabuza had apparently promised the Dlamini-Zuma camp that he would encourage the delegates from his province to vote for her.
However, sources told the ''
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' that Mabuza had not instructed his supporters to vote for any particular candidate, but rather had told them – moments before the vote – to follow their conscience.
A spokesman for the Women's League said that Mabuza and Ace Magashule "did not pull the candidate up. They used it
lamini-Zuma's campaignas a ladder for themselves... It’s our demonstration to you to say this is how
patriarchy
Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...
is rearing its ugly head".
In defence, Mabuza's allies said that he had not promised his support to either candidate: "The only commitment we have is to unity".
Several newspapers reported that Mabuza had coordinated with
Paul Mashatile
Paul Shipokosa Mashatile (born 21 October 1961) is a South African politician who is currently the Deputy President of the governing African National Congress (ANC). Before his election to that position in December 2022, he was ANC Treasurer Ge ...
on his unity campaign, including by lobbying (successfully) for Mashatile's election as Treasurer-General.
Despite his decisive role at the 54th National Conference, journalist Stephen Grootes argued that Mabuza's position in the ANC remained weak in the longer term, due to his lack of a national profile:
The real source of Mabuza’s power at Nasrec he conference venuewas not that he has overwhelming support from branches on the ground, or that he has a national following in the party – it was that the race between Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was so close. He held the deciding delegates, which made him the kingmaker. That has given him, in some eyes, the perception of having immense power. But the deciding factor in this race was all that he had. If the two main factions had not been so close, his delegates would not have mattered. Translating what was a deciding, but small, factor into ultimate victory for the leadership is by no means guaranteed.
Deputy Presidency
On 26 February 2018, he was appointed
Deputy President of South Africa
The deputy president of South Africa is the deputy to the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa and is a member of the National Assembly and the Cabinet. The deputy president is constitutionally required to "assi ...
by Ramaphosa, who had
replaced Zuma following his resignation. Mabuza was sworn in the following day
and was also sworn in as a Member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
in order to take up the position. On 20 March, Mabuza gave his maiden speech in Parliament and for the first time responded to questions from other Members of Parliament. On 21 March, he addressed the national
Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year.
The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Right ...
commemoration in
Sharpeville
Sharpeville (also spelled Sharpville) is a township situated between two large industrial cities, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Sharpeville is one of the oldest of six townships in the Vaal Triangle. It was na ...
while Ramaphosa was abroad.
When Ramaphosa was
re-elected to a full term as President after the
2019 general election, Mabuza was re-appointed as Deputy President.
On that occasion, his swearing in was delayed as he sought to address allegations – made in a report of the ANC's internal Integrity Commission – that he was one of a list of ANC leaders who had brought the ANC into disrepute. Among other responsibilities, Mabuza is Leader of Government Business in Parliament, the head of the South African National
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
Council, the head of the National Human Resource Development Council, and the patron of the Moral Regeneration Movement. He also chairs two
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
subcommittees, one on governance and state capacity and one on justice and security.
The policy priorities delegated to him by President Ramaphosa include
land reform
Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...
, anti-
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
initiatives, and rural and
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
economic empowerment.
Medical leave: 2021
In 2021, Mabuza took
medical leave to receive further medical treatment in Russia, where he remained for more than a month before his return in August.
He did not reveal the purpose of the treatment but media speculated that it was related to his alleged poisoning in 2015;
when the opposition
Democratic Alliance attempted to ask him in the National Assembly whether he had been poisoned, the question was disallowed by
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula (born 13 November 1956) is a South African politician who currently serves as the Speaker of the National Assembly as of 19 August 2021. She has previously held the office of Minister of Defence and Military ...
, the
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
. When questioned further in 2022, Mabuza said that there was "nothing sinister" about the trip, that its purpose had been medical rather than political, and that it had had no bearing on government policy on energy contracts or the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
Motorcade accidents: 2022
Mabuza's
motorcade was in two separate
car accidents in 2022. In the first incident, on 27 July, a collision on the
N1 in
Midrand
Midrand is a former municipality in central Gauteng, South Africa. It is situated in-between Centurion and Sandton and now forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
History
Midrand was established as a municipality in 1 ...
hospitalised two of his protection officers with minor injuries, but Mabuza was not in any of the vehicles. On 20 November, as the motorcade transported Mabuza from Mpumalanga to the
O. R. Tambo International Airport, one of the vehicles overturned when a tyre burst; one protection officer was killed and two were hospitalised, but the car carrying Mabuza was not affected.
Presidential bid: 2022
Ahead of the ANC's
55th National Conference in December 2022, at which Ramaphosa was re-elected as ANC President, Mabuza campaigned for his own election to the ANC presidency.
However, the campaign did not receive adequate support for Mabuza to be included on the ballot paper for either the presidency or the deputy presidency positions. On the floor of the conference, he was nominated to stand for re-election as ANC Deputy President but declined the nomination.
He was succeeded by
Paul Mashatile
Paul Shipokosa Mashatile (born 21 October 1961) is a South African politician who is currently the Deputy President of the governing African National Congress (ANC). Before his election to that position in December 2022, he was ANC Treasurer Ge ...
.
Other controversies
Farmhouse burglary
In December 2009, an amount of cash was stolen from Mabuza's farmhouse in Mpumalanga. The story attracted attention in part because it was never clearly established how much money was stolen. The ''Sunday Times'' heard from several police sources that
R14 million was stolen, but that only R4 million had been reported missing "because it would have raised eyebrows that the premier kept such a large amount of money at a residential property".
In November 2010, a police
constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
confirmed that a case had been opened at the
Barberton police station regarding R4 million; it had been referred to the
organised crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
unit because it was a high-profile case.
However, the spokesperson of that unit continued to maintain that only R1,200 was reported stolen.
''
Africa Report
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
later'' linked the story to rumours that, during the period in which the theft had taken place, several Mpumalanga politicians had received
kickbacks
A kickback is a form of negotiated bribery in which a commission is paid to the bribe-taker in exchange for services rendered. Generally speaking, the remuneration (money, goods, or services handed over) is negotiated ahead of time. The kickbac ...
related to the construction of the
Mbombela Stadium
The Mbombela Stadium is a football and Rugby union all-seater stadium in Mbombela in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, It was one of 10 venues for the tournament and one of 5 newly constructed stadiums ...
ahead of the
2010 Soccer World Cup.
Lawsuit against Mathews Phosa
In 2014, Mabuza unsuccessfully sued his former boss, Mathews Phosa, for
defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
. The suit concerned a document entitled ''Classified: Top Secret! Reports of a Police Agent'' which Mabuza said Phosa had published and circulated in the ANC. Mabuza said that the document made various incorrect and defamatory claims, including that Mabuza was a spy for the apartheid
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
from 1985 to 1993.
Phosa said that he had seen the document and had forwarded it to ANC Deputy Secretary General
Jessie Duarte
Yasmin "Jessie" Duarte (; 19 September 1953 – 17 July 2022) was a South African politician and acting secretary-general of the African National Congress. A longtime anti-apartheid activist, she served variously as a special assistant to Nels ...
, but denied involvement in its publication.
The
Pretoria High Court
The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law which has general jurisdiction over the South African province of Gauteng and the eastern part of North West province. The main seat of the division is at Pretoria, w ...
dismissed Mabuza's case in 2017.
Alleged corruption
Mabuza has been accused of involvement in
political corruption
Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain.
Forms of corruption vary, but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, in ...
and tender fraud.
In August 2018, in a lengthy exposé, the
''New York Times'' reported that while Premier Mabuza had built a network of political
patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
in Mpumalanga by artificially inflating, and carefully distributing, contracts to build schools in the province – a strategy facilitated by his Rapid Implementation Unit – and thereby strengthened his political base at the expense of the public service delivery.
Mabuza also has a long-running dispute with Fred Daniel, the owner and developer of a Mpumalanga
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
, who claimed that Mabuza was implicated in fraudulent land scams in the province while MEC.
He has said that the various allegations against him are part of a
smear campaign
A smear campaign, also referred to as a smear tactic or simply a smear, is an effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda. It makes use of discrediting tactics.
It can be applied to individual ...
by his opponents.
Alleged political violence
Mabuza was rumoured to have been involved in
political violence
Political violence is violence which is perpetrated in order to achieve political goals. It can include violence which is used by a state against other states (war), violence which is used by a state against civilians and non-state actors (forced ...
in Mpumalanga. This includes persistent rumours, particularly among his local political opponents, that, while Premier, Mabuza was involved in conspiracies which led to
political killings in the province. Mabuza was linked to the assassination of Sammy Mpatlanyane, a government official who was shot in 2010 after he refused to sign off on controversial tenders.
Most prominently, however, he was frequently linked to the assassination of Jimmy Mohlala, who was shot dead on 4 January 2009. Mohlala was the
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of
Mbombela Municipality and had launched a "crusade" against
tender corruption related to the construction of the Mbombela Stadium; his murder was viewed as an attempt to
cover up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...
the corruption.
Controversial activist James Nkabule, of the
Congress of the People, claimed publicly that Mabuza was responsible; he also accused Mabuza of using state resources to intimidate him, and reported him to the police for intimidation over a threatening SMS he claimed Mabuza had sent him. Nkabule claimed to have met a Mozambican man who said he had been hired to murder Mohlala and others, and he was lobbying for the man's entrance into
witness protection
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...
when he was poisoned in October 2010. Several years later, Mabuza's former
butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
, Jan Venter, alleged that Mabuza had once "let slip" to him that he was behind the assassinations of "Jimmy and James", which Venter understood as a reference to Mohlala and Nkambule; Venter was put in witness protection. In addition,
Mzilikazi wa Afrika
Mzilikazi wa Afrika is a South African investigative journalist and record producer currently best known for his arrest in August 2010 on charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice, which escalated the debate in his country about media f ...
, a ''Sunday Times'' journalist who reported extensively on the killings and the claims of the alleged hitman, was arrested in August 2010 on a
forgery
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidd ...
charge laid by Mabuza, later dropped.
He claimed that the charge was politically motivated and an attempt to "harass and intimidate me". In 2014, two men from Mbombela claimed that they had been members of a "
dirty tricks" task team formed by Mabuza to suppress allegations that he was involved in political killings; they had been offered R3 million and jobs in the government and had been instructed to steal documents from Nkabule.
Mabuza has consistently denied involvement in the assassinations,
and, as of 2022, the allegations had never been prosecuted or proven. In 2016, he told a journalist, "One day, people will get clarity when they lay hands on privileged information I have about the political murders... This individual bought people to kill people and allege that I killed them. They wanted me arrested... to be out of the way."
In 2017, ahead of the ANC's 54th National Conference, Mathews Phosa told
eNCA
eNCA, also known as eNews Channel Africa, is a 24-hour television news broadcaster owned by e.tv that focuses on South African, African stories and events. The broadcaster became South Africa's first and most watched 24-hour news service af ...
that Mabuza had a "private army" in Mpumalanga.
He said the "private army" carried weapons, disrupted ANC meetings, and otherwise sought to intimidate local ANC members who did not support Mabuza's political agenda. He made the allegation in connection with a video that had surfaced of gunmen firing shots recklessly at a gathering, apparently in Mpumalanga; Phosa said that the men were connected to Mabuza.
Mabuza and the provincial ANC denied Phosa's allegation. At the time, Phosa was instituting a court challenge against the Mpumalanga ANC, believing that there had been improper conduct in the process by which it had nominated candidates for election at the 54th National Conference.
Philanthropy
In 2014, Mabuza established the DD Mabuza Foundation.
Its priorities are education and the social upliftment of vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Personal life
Mabuza is married to Nonhlanhla Patience Mnisi, a
real estate agent
A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...
at
Pam Golding
Pam Golding (née Stroebel; 12 September 1928 – 3 April 2018) was a South African real estate developer. Pam Golding Properties, which she founded in 1976, is one of the largest real estate groups in South Africa, with over 300 offices in sub- ...
. According to the
Independent Online
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format in 2003. The last p ...
, he was formerly married to Ruthi Funi Silinda; Silinda is referred to elsewhere as his
customary
Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to:
Traditions, laws, and religion
* Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom
* Norm (social), a r ...
ex-wife or former
fiancée
An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
,
and they had a child together.
References
Further reading
* Rossouw, Rehana (2020). ''Predator Politics: Mabuza, Fred Daniel and the Great Land Scam''. Jacana.
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
978-1-4314-3002-4.
OCLC
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
1224980239.
*
Sama Yende, Sizwe (2016). ''
Eerie Assignment: A Journalist's Nightmare in Mpumalanga''. Lesedi House.
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
978-0-620-72980-2.
OCLC
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
1057242893.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mabuza, David
1960 births
Living people
African National Congress politicians
Deputy presidents of South Africa
Premiers of Mpumalanga
South African people of Swazi descent
University of South Africa alumni
Members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature
21st-century South African politicians
Members of the National Assembly of South Africa