Former deputy president David Mabuza dies

Mabuza served as deputy president of the ANC from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018.

In February 2018, Ramaphosa appointed him as Deputy President of South Africa, who, when re-elected to a full term as President after the 2019 general election, re-appointed him as his deputy. 

Paul Mashatile succeeded him at the ANC’s national conference in 2022 after he declined a nomination to stand as Ramaphosa’s deputy again. 

He subsequently stood down as deputy president of the country in 2023. 

“Comrade Mabuza dedicated his life to the service of the people of South Africa,” ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said in a statement on social media on Thursday. 

“From his days in the struggle against apartheid to his leadership as Premier of Mpumalanga and later as Deputy President, he was a committed cadre who carried the values of unity, discipline, and transformation.

“On behalf of the African National Congress, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, comrades, and the people of South Africa. We have lost a patriot, a freedom fighter, and a leader who served with humility and conviction.”