Phosa pays tribute to Mabuza

FORMER Mpumalanga premier, Dr Mathews Phosa, has paid tribute to former deputy President David Dabede Mabuza who also hailed from Mpumalanga and also previously served as premier of the province from 2009 to 2018.

- JONISAYI MAROMO [e-mail]

Mabuza died in hospital at the age of 64. He served as deputy president during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first term at the Union Buildings.

On Friday, as tributes continue to pour for the man nicknamed “The Cat” in South African politics due to his survival instinct, Phosa described Mabuza as a shrewd politician who contributed significantly to South Africa.

“He was a very shrewd politician. They call him the cat, not for nothing, he had many political tricks which entertained people. It got him where he got at the end of the day,” Phosa reportedly said.

As tributes pour in, many people are remembering Mabuza for his skillful maneuvering at the African National Congress (ANC) 2017 elective conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg, where the then Mpumalanga premier became kingmaker in Ramaphosa’s path to the Union Buildings.