A tribute to David Mabuza, the quiet general of principle

IOL News

12-07-2025

Late former deputy president David Mabuza was more than a leader; he was a comrade who rose through struggle, not shortcuts, writes Andile Lungisa.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL
By Andile Lungisa, ANC NEC Member
In the rhythm of revolutionary time, there are comrades who do not shout to be heard, but who leave behind a silence so profound that it echoes louder than any speech.
Today, we pause as a nation, as a movement, and as comrades, to bow our heads and raise our hearts in honour of Comrade David Dabede Mabuza, a giant who walked among us with humility, courage, and principle.
DD was not a man of theatrics, he was a man of substance. In a political culture often dominated by noise, spectacle, and self-promotion, DD chose a path that was quieter, but infinitely more difficult, the path of discipline, restraint, and strategic conviction.
We did not always agree. At moments, and particularly around the heated and history-shaping 2017 Conference, we found ourselves on robustly opposite ends of internal battles.
Our disagreements were real, and I will not pretend they were minor. But I have come to understand that DD's politics were never personal.
He stood his ground not to win for himself, but to defend what he believed would preserve and strengthen the ANC.
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Even in disagreement, one could not help but respect him. Because his posture was never rooted in malice, it was anchored in a deep, quiet loyalty to the organisation.
He believed in the ANC not as a convenience, but as a conviction. And when the dust of internal contest settled, DD emerged not bitter, not triumphant, but loyal. He stood by the movement. Unshaken. Unbought.
Ernesto "Che" Guevara teaches us that "A true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary without this quality."
This was Comrade DD Mabuza, he was precisely that, a revolutionary guided not by volume, but by vision. Not by ambition, but by love for his people. Not by fear, but by discipline.
He was not consumed by uncontrollable ambition. He did not chase positions for their own sake. Even when his name rose to national prominence and the glare of high office settled on him, he remained grounded. And when the time came to bow out, DD did not cling. Like a great dancer who knows when the music is about to change, he stepped off the stage with grace, with his dignity intact, and with his conscience clear.
What truly defined DD's political life was his unbreakable bond with the people of Mpumalanga. Alongside comrades like Mathews Phosa, Thabang Makwetla , Fish Mahlalela and Boy Nobela Mahlangu, he belonged to a generation of freedom fighters who did not wait for development to come, they fought fearlessly to bring it. Together, they carried the hopes of a province once sidelined, and turned it into a theatre of transformation.
DD's leadership in Mpumalanga was not built on promises, but on the hard, gritty work of delivery. Roads that connected the forgotten. Schools that empowered the previously excluded. Clinics that reached deep into rural soil. He did not govern from air-conditioned offices alone, he governed from the ground, among the people, with the people, for the people.
He believed that governance was a sacred act, and that no community, however remote, should be beyond the reach of dignity.
Even when his health tested him, he did not retreat into comfort. He campaigned. He served. He endured. Because for DD, to serve the ANC was not an obligation, it was an act of faith.
We must say this clearly: he was not perfect. None of us are. But in him, we saw the rare combination of quiet strength, political patience, and deep commitment. In him, we witnessed what it means to wield power without being intoxicated by it, to leave the stage without being pushed, and to disagree with comrades without betraying the movement. Chris Hani in lessons to us he teaches us 'It is not the kings and generals that make history, but the masses of the people.'
Comrade DD never sought to be king, but he served like a general, always with the people, always for the people.
Today, we say goodbye to more than a leader, we say goodbye to an era.
An era of comrades who rose through struggle, not shortcuts. Who knew that unity is not the absence of contestation, but its disciplined management. Who could stand still in the storm and still point north, when others were losing direction.
Go well, DD.Son of Mpumalanga.Lion in strategy, dove in conduct.Warrior for development, disciple of unity.
May we who remain carry forward your example: of loyalty without arrogance, ambition without destruction, and service without spectacle.
* The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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