By Simon Nare
Former deputy president David Mabuza, nicknamed ‘The Cat’ for his nimble-fingered political moves, faced a key moment at the 2017 ANC conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg, when he switched sides at the last minute, abandoning the Premier League to support President Cyril Ramaphosa.
What was once seen as a clever move by a shrewd politician soon became a turning point that made him an adversary and pushed him into relative obscurity.
To this day, former ANC president Jacob Zuma never forgave Mabuza for betraying him by rejecting his leadership wishes at the conference.
Once a dominant force in Mpumalanga politics, Mabuza faded into the shadows after quietly leaving the Union Buildings, after realising that the man he had helped install at the 2017 Nasrec conference, at great personal cost, no longer had use for him.
That, many agree, was the sad story of how Mabuza betrayed a powerful force of the ‘Premier League’ in the ANC and handed Ramaphosa political power on a silver platter.
It was a calculated move Mabuza hoped would endear him to the nation and secure his place in the history books – some even argue, as a stepping stone to the Presidency.
This was during the era of Zuma and his allies, the Guptas, who were widely believed to wield influence in South African politics.
Defying the wishes of his ‘Premier League’ allies, Mabuza was determined to write his own chapter in the history books.
It proved to be a miscalculation for a politician long known as a silent operator – the one who had quietly risen through the ranks and weathered numerous storms in Mpumalanga, ultimately becoming the province’s most powerful figure.
But upon reaching the Union Buildings, he discovered that the grass was not greener on the other side.
It was a chapter that came to define Mabuza’s political journey, one his comrades reflected on after he drew his final breath at Sandton Mediclinic on Thursday night.
The powerful “Premier League”—made up of Free State Premier Ace Magashule, North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo, and Mabuza in Mpumalanga, once held formidable sway over ANC elective conferences.
But ahead of the pivotal 2017 Nasrec conference, Mabuza began deviating from the league’s script, preaching unity instead.
His shift in tone unsettled his allies, especially since he commanded a significant bloc of support.
And in the eleventh hour, Mabuza delivered the final blow and went with Ramaphosa, a move that would bury his political career.
To some, he was a hero who had saved the country from what many saw as the looming prospect of continued rule by Zuma through a faction led by his former wife.
To others, he was a traitor who sold out his comrades at the eleventh hour.
Yet to those who admired him, he remained a revered struggle stalwart, a patriot who helped build the ANC into a formidable force and who remained connected to the ordinary people on the ground.
Others though, say he was an unscrupulous politician, corrupt to the core, and a master of the dark arts who terrorised his political opponents for years in Mpumalanga.
However, some of his comrades remembered him fondly for his sacrifices in the struggle following the news of his death.
The ANC remembered him as a leader who had a charming personality that connected with the people.
“Rising from the ranks of student activism to becoming premier of Mpumalanga and ultimately the Deputy President of the Republic, Cde Mabuza exemplified a life committed to the liberation and upliftment of the people,” ANC said in a statement.
“As a leader, he played a critical role in building the ANC structures in Mpumalanga and the country. He was instrumental in strengthening unity and stability within the organisation.”
Ramaphosa, in his tribute, described Mabuza as a leader who “was grounded in activism at the early stages of his political career and who came to lead our nation”.
Ramaphosa said Mabuza shaped South Africa’s engagement with the continental compatriots and the international community in his role as Deputy President.
Although not widely known, Mabuza is credited for his peace mission talks in Sudan and even won an award for it.
Mpumalanga premier Mandla Ndlovu, described Mabuza as a towering figure in the province who united the province in its diversity.
“In his tenure as the MEC for education, the premier and later as deputy president, Mabuza served the province and the country with distinction and with a deep sense to the ideals of democracy, unity, peace and upliftment of our people,” said Ndlovu.
In contrast, many stories emerged about his ruthless political style and brazen allegations of corruption in the departments he oversaw – from agriculture to transport – before rising to become Mpumalanga’s first citizen.
Yet, under his leadership as provincial chairperson and premier, Mpumalanga became one of the ANC’s most unified and influential voting blocs.
It even challenged the powerful KwaZulu-Natal in terms voting delegates, and rumors began to swell that Mabuza was “cooking” branches to hold sway at conferences with ghost delegates.
Aside from those in his inner circle, Mabuza largely avoided the limelight and cameras. He rarely gave interviews, and those close to him say his strength lay in quietly calculating his political moves.
But the one move that mattered most – at the 2017 Nasrec conference – ultimately sidestepped him, steering him toward a path of no return in the political wilderness, right up to his final hour.
The illness that led to Mabuza’s death has not yet been disclosed.
INSIDE POLITICS
