By Nkhensani Mthombeni
Tito Mboweni was a big supporter of the township economy and this led to his close friendship with Mathambo Mhlari – a young businessman from Nkowankowa Township near Tzaneen, Limpopo.
Mathambo owns a shisanyama, Muyi Enterprise. His connection with Mboweni started in 2017 on Facebook when Mboweni posted about supporting township businesses. Mathambo challenged him to visit his eatery when he was home.
A few months later, Mathambo received a surprise call from Mboweni, who said he was on his way to the shisanyama.
This was when Mboweni became a regular customer and friend.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, Mathambo said he was shocked at Mboweni’s passing.
“The last time I spoke to him was about three weeks ago, and we just caught up over the phone,” he said.
“He sounded like his usual self. I tried to call him again last week but couldn’t reach him. A few days later, I found out he was in hospital, where he later died.”
Mathambo shared that their conversations were about general topics, politics, and the economy of Limpopo.
“He loved seeing young people in business, especially in tourism and agriculture. He would encourage young black people to start tourism businesses in Magoebaskloof, where he lived. Those businesses are mostly run by white people,” Mathambo said.
Mathambo said the greatest lesson he learned from Mboweni, who was known as the “Duke of Magoebaskloof”, was to “stay true to yourself, focus on your goals, and don’t worry about impressing others.”
Mathambo said Mboweni was very principled and didn’t care what people thought about his clothes or his cooking.
“He was just a simple man, content in being himself,” Mathambo said.
Mboweni’s funeral will be held on Saturday morning at Nkowankowa Stadium. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced it will be a special official funeral category 2.
Pictured above: Tito Mboweni and Mathambo Mhlari.
Source: Supplied
