David Mabuza has died

SABC announces the passing of the former deputy president at the age of 64.

David Mabuza, who shrugged off a succession of graft scandals to become South Africa’s deputy president, has died. He was 64.

Mabuza’s death was announced by the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corp.

ADVERTISEMENT CONTINUE READING BELOW

Mabuza emerged as a key power broker in the governing African National Congress (ANC) by signing up tens of thousands of new members in the rural eastern Mpumalanga region, where he was the party’s chair and provincial premier.

He persuaded his ANC colleagues in the province to back Cyril Ramaphosa’s successful bid for the party leadership in late 2017, while securing the No. 2 post for himself. When Ramaphosa was appointed president in February 2018 after the ANC forced Jacob Zuma to step down, he named Mabuza his deputy. Mabuza quit the post five years later after falling from favour within the party.

Read: Mabuza backs Ramaphosa’s anti-corruption drive

Widely known by his initials DD, David Dabede Mabuza was born on 25 Augustus 1960, and worked as a schoolteacher before entering politics. He became the premier of Mpumalanga in 2009 and faced numerous allegations that he helped to rig state tenders and had his opponents silenced and even assassinated.

He denied the accusations and was never charged.

Zuma ally

Mabuza was one of Zuma’s staunchest allies during his almost nine-year rule and helped him fend off calls to resign after he was accused of abusing state funds and breaking his oath of office. Mabuza initially backed former African Union chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Zuma’s ex-wife and favoured successor, to take over the party leadership in 2017 before switching his support to Ramaphosa shortly before the vote.

After the 2019 elections, Mabuza delayed being sworn in as a lawmaker – a prerequisite for him to be reappointed as deputy president – while he fended off allegations from the ANC’s integrity committee that he had brought the party into disrepute. He was later cleared of wrongdoing and reassumed his post.

As deputy president, he kept a relatively low profile – his duties included heading a so-called war room of cabinet ministers who addressed power shortages, and a panel on land reform.

ADVERTISEMENT: CONTINUE READING BELOW

Mabuza said his opponents tried to kill him by poisoning his food at his birthday party in 2015, and he spent several months undergoing treatment in South Africa and Russia.

He was largely absent from the public eye during the coronavirus crisis and postponed several appearances in parliament due to ill health.

Read:
ANC raises alarm over deputy president’s health
Deputy President Mabuza resigns
David Mabuza quits as MP before cabinet revamp

His vacillating loyalties within the ANC caught up with him in December 2022, and he declined to stand for re-election as its deputy leader after it became clear that he lacked sufficient support. Paul Mashatile succeeded him in that role and then as the nation’s deputy president the following year.

Mabuza married his wife Patience Mnisi in 2003.

© 2025 Bloomberg

Follow Moneyweb’s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.