Free State African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Mxolisi Dukwana has described the former Deputy President David Mabuza as a self-less leader.
Dukwana and fellow ANC members visited Mabuza’s family in Barberton, Mpumalanga yesterday to convey their condolences. Mabuza died a week ago at the age of 64. Dukwana says Mabuza was a unifying figure in the ANC.
“We will remember him in the Free State especially during the very difficult elections in 2024. He played a very pivotal role for the organisation. He was there. He supported us with all the resources and we are therefore very, very grateful for his contribution.”
“But also learning from everything that he did in making sure that the ANC is united. But what we are thriving for as an organisation, is that we are working hard to make sure that we keep the ANC united and that we keep the ANC doing what it is supposed to be doing,” explains Dukwana.
ANC to hold memorial for Mabuza in Mpumalanga today
The ANC will today hold a memorial for former Deputy President David Mabuza in three regions in Mpumalanga where served as premier from 2009 to 2018.
The country is currently observing a period of mourning which entails national flags flying at half-mast until Mabuza’s official state funeral on Saturday. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says Mabuza’s death is a loss for both the party and the country.
“A son of the soil, born of rural hardship, he never detached himself from the lived realities of ordinary South Africans. We remember his powerful and principled declaration, I quote, no child must be denied quality education because he or she is poor and living in a farm, close quote. This was not mere rhetoric, it was a conviction rooted in personal experience and a lifelong commitment to the struggle against inequality.”
Mabuza will receive a Guard of Honour on Friday on the eve of his State Funeral Category 2. The military will conduct the funeral with prescribed ceremonial honours.
Mbalula says he served with strategic calm, “As Deputy President of the Republic, he led inter-ministerial committees focused on land reform, rural and township economic revitalization, and accelerated service delivery. As Deputy President, he also assumed the responsibilities for the South African National AIDS Council, work related to the plight of military veterans, and a host of other issues assigned to him by the President.Internationally, he represented South Africa with quiet dignity and a firm strategic hand.”
