DD Mabuza: A legacy of courage and leadership

IOL News

10-07-2025

The late former Deputy President David Mabuza's affable nature and delightful sense of humour endeared him to all who were privileged to know him.
Image: GCIS
'The experience of the ages that are past, the hopes of the ages that are yet to come, unite their voices in an appeal to us; they implore us to think more of the character of our people than of its numbers…' – Horace Mann
ENDOWED with an imperturbable demeanour, as David Dabede Mabuza, affectionately known as 'DD', was a man always in high spirits — cracking jokes, strong-hearted, ebullient, and optimistic.
He was not known for the softer virtues, but shone brightly in his own right. Warm and generous, he captured the bewildering complexity of a society marked by sharp contrasts. A brilliant conversationalist, he brimmed with ideas and knew how to listen.
Mabuza consistently demonstrated his brilliance in unique ways. Skilled at connecting facts, ideas, and people, his mind was constantly weaving strategies and insights. An original thinker and gifted teacher, he embodied the truth in Henry Adams' words: 'A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.'
His affable nature and delightful sense of humour endeared him to all who were privileged to know him. Generous almost to a fault, he helped countless individuals without fanfare or media attention. Although all who knew him will miss the stimulation of his mind and warmth of his friendship, death will not end the humanising influence he brought into politics. Mabuza was a person of large contradictions — and equally large ideas.
He had a rare gift for stimulating discussions and opening spaces for reflection. His foresight and contributions enriched both national discourse and personal growth. As a politician and former Deputy President of South Africa, his great strength lay in his passionate belief in the individual's role in community life, a conviction he held deeply and applied to his civic leadership.
Mabuza's reaction to situations was never dictated by fleeting emotions. He was daring, exemplified by his politically astute unity strategy during the fierce 2017 ANC leadership battle between Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Even when vilified, he maintained his composure, guided by a conscious integrity that made him indifferent to praise or censure.
In that spirit, this tribute honours Mabuza — the daring one — who, unshaken, fought the bull with grit and determination. No politician faced more scrutiny after the 2017 ANC National Conference. He was called many unsavoury names, yet in his passing, friend and foe alike unite in praise of his leadership.
Like all of us, Mabuza was fallible. Whatever wrongs he may have committed, forgiveness is humbly sought from God. One wishes to eavesdrop on the final moments between life and eternity. We serve a forgiving God.
After the ANC conference, Mabuza serenely pursued the even tenor of his ways. The poet Horace describes such a man:
'The man, in conscious virtue hold,
Who dare his secret purpose hold?
Unshaken hears the crowds' tumultuous cries
And the impetuous tyrant's angry bow defies.'
It would be mistaken to assume Mabuza was always right. Yet, there is no doubt his leadership benefited many. Countless individuals can attest to the positive impact he had. Generous beyond measure, he quietly supported those in need, away from public glare.
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles in Courage, JFK wrote: 'In a democracy, every citizen… holds office. Every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends on how we fulfil those responsibilities.' Mabuza executed his duties with distinction and unwavering commitment.
I pay tribute to Mabuza for his ever-alert mind, unbroken vitality, and mental fortitude. Famed for his honesty, modesty, and respect for opposing views, he earned deep admiration from all who met him. His diligence, principled decision-making, and ability to resolve complex issues won him wide respect in political circles.
Mabuza's perceptiveness, intelligence, wit, and devotion made him one of the most respected leaders of his generation. His life was a profile of courage — not merely making hard decisions, but refusing to take the easy ones. Courage, as one of the cardinal virtues, requires judgment, integrity, and prudence.
There is a story about Theodore Roosevelt's dog, which forever got into fights and lost. When someone remarked, 'Your dog is a pretty poor fighter,' Roosevelt replied, 'Oh, no. He's a very good fighter. He's just a terrible judge of dogs.' While we admire courage, we must also ensure sound judgment guides it.
Mabuza understood this well. He lived by shifting from being the best in the world to being the best for the world — to strive not for what one can get, but for what one can give. That is the essence of true leadership.
He was endowed with candour, asking tough questions, speaking truths others avoided, and giving and receiving honest feedback. He possessed common sense: knowing if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. Fenimore Cooper wrote in The American Democrat: 'Among all the country's political virtues, candour is the one most necessary to the health and well-being of our mutual enterprise.' Mabuza practised this.
He was a patriot, not in loud displays or excessive sentimentality, but in quiet commitment to understanding institutions and fulfilling obligations. From such patriotism springs a nation of citizens who know their rights and their duties, and dare to maintain them. No matter how harshly or kindly time treated Mabuza, so long as he retained his faculties, nothing could rob him of inner peace, the joy of meditation, or the appreciation of the good, the beautiful, and the true.
In his speech to the Massachusetts State Legislature on January 19, 1961, John F Kennedy asked: 'Were we truly men of courage? Judgment? Integrity? Dedication?' Mabuza's leadership ranks him among the finest public servants — those who led with honour, wisdom, and conviction.
The nation knew of his declining health, though he bore it stoically. Looking at his photo while writing this tribute, I recalled John Donne's words: 'Death, be not proud… One short sleep past, we wake eternally/And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.'
Mabuza lives on in the minds of those whose consciousness he shaped. But he has now gone from our midst. What are we to do in his absence? Perhaps he would point us to Leopold von Ranke's question: 'What really happened?' — a call to understand history responsibly.
At 64, we gave him back to the God he loved — with sadness, but also gratitude. His loss transcends family; it is a national loss. The ANC has lost a 'one-of-a-kind' — profoundly knowledgeable, endlessly exasperating, and impossible not to love.
DD Mabuza was a mentor and friend who influenced countless lives. I join many who will miss his wit, wisdom, integrity, gentle guidance, and infinite hospitality.
Rest in peace, Comrade DD, Premier, Deputy President, and friend.
* Dr Vusi Shongwe works in the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal and writes in his personal capacity.
** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.