Mabuza's desperate bid to save his life

Before his untimely death, the former deputy president attempted to raise funds to seek medical care in Russia

- By Setumo Stone, Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane, Mawande AmaShabalala and Ngwako Malatji

In a desperate bid to save his life, former deputy president David “DD” Mabuza quietly embarked on a campaign to raise money to leave the country for Russia to seek medical care.

Sunday World can exclusively reveal that some three weeks ago, Mabuza, who was fondly known in the political realm by his moniker “The Cat”, tried to raise hundreds of thousands of rands to charter a plane to an infirmary in Moscow, where he used to receive medical care in the past.

Upon investigation, the publication established that some of Mabuza’s close allies were unaware of the fundraising strategy since he was directly speaking to the people he had contacted for help.

Multiple sources confirmed that Mabuza was in Russia sometime last month for routine treatment at an academic facility, coinciding with the dates when he personally made requests for funds from high-pro-file individuals whose names are known to this publication.

Three independent sources said the medical treatment in Russia was relatively cheap compared to South Africa because the ruble is weaker than the rand, and the facility was partly publicly funded.