Mabuza was one of the influential leaders of the ANC, referred to as the Premier League.
Among the many memories of former deputy president David “DD” Mabuza will be his slick political moves and pulling the rug out from under the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction of the ANC.
Mabuza died on Thursday after a prolonged battle with ill health. He was accused of corruption and political violence, allegations which he denied.
The day he pulled one over Zuma
In 2017, Mabuza was the chairperson of the ANC in Mpumalanga and an influential figure in the party as it headed into its 54th national elective conference.
“What made DD stand out is that he was part of the group that supported Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (NDZ). They wanted her to become the president of the ANC after Jacob Zuma,” political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast told The Citizen.
“That is a project that went wrong and he played a role in that. He campaigned in the build-up to that conference. In the 11th hour, on the verge of that conference, he became the kingmaker.
“It is an open secret that President Cyril Ramaphosa would not have become president without DD.”
A popular deputy president?
Following the conference, Mabuza was chosen by Ramaphosa as deputy president of the country. A position he held until 2023.
Mabuza was criticised for his notable silence during his deputy presidency, which made him appear detached from the national discourse and the country’s political developments.
According to Breakfast, Mabuza did not last long in the role because he had a number of enemies within the ANC after the 2017 conference.
“Some people did not like the idea that he was the deputy president and that he was getting attention. They isolated him and as a result, he left the government prematurely.
“Another explanation for his departure could be that the guy was not well; he was always in and out of hospital,” Breakfast said.
In 2016, Mabuza told the media that his health problems were a result of an alleged poisoning the previous year.
According to Breakfast, the RET faction of the ANC was also angry at Mabuza for his decision to support the Thuma Mina campaign, which pushed for Ramaphosa’s election as party president.
“He ended up having bad blood with the RET faction. They saw him as a sellout and traitor.
“On the other hand, he was ill-treated by the Ramaphosa faction and he could not go back to the Zuma faction,” he said.
Breakfast believes Mabuza potentially saved the country by switching allegiance.
“The fact of the matter is that there was a push back of the dominance of state capture, there was a push back of Zuma and his faction in the state machinery and this also permeated to the global stage.
“What would have happened when the RET faction won would have been worse. Whether we think the markets are racist or not, it would have been worse for economic growth,” he said.
Breakfast described Mabuza as a skilled politician.
“He did not talk too much, therefore he did not reveal who he was and he was able to move,” he said.
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A man of his word, says Mashatile
Deputy President Paul Mashatile visited the Mabuza family on Friday, hailing him as a committed member of the ANC who had served the party well.
“He always wanted unity in the party. I would like to say to members of the ANC that we need to build on that legacy – the legacy of unity, the legacy of putting people first.
“He was a man who, once he agreed to do something, he would never betray you. He would never change and that is the kind of leadership that we want to see emerging from our ranks.”
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