On Ferreira Street in Mbombela is a modest office that once pulsed with the dreams of matriculants from poor families and similar backgrounds.
It was the headquarters of the David Mabuza Foundation. The site is where bursaries and hope once bloomed. The building now whispers a different story. It now houses a beauty parlour.
It is business as usual at the parlour, patrons and staff oblivious to the name that once towered over Mpumalanga.
The office is just 2.7km away from the Hoërskool Bergvlam where the funeral of the former Deputy President was held on Saturday.
A stone’s throw away, tears flow
Yet, at the school’s grounds, Mabuza’s legacy thundered through tearful tributes and state honour.
His black, flag-draped coffin rested at the front of the grand marquee, watched over by an elite guard of mourners: President Cyril Ramaphosa, former leaders, top ANC officials, and a sea of VIPs sat somberly. The luxury German sedans and SUVs glistened outside like a showroom of grief.
Speaker after speaker took to the podium, their words painting Mabuza as a political kingmaker, a man of contradictions, and a silent benefactor of the poor. Premier Mandla Ndlovu, with roaring exuberance, led the provincial homage, saying Mabuza’s political instincts were unmatched and that “he never fought to be president—but he could’ve been.”
As Ramaphosa’s face lit up the big screens flanking three overspilling tents, chants of “Baba!” erupted, a rare warmth toward a sitting president—perhaps a final nod to the camaraderie once shared between him and the man dubbed ‘The Cat’ for surviving political storms.
Musical tribute
Conspicuously absent from the official programme was Mabuza’s beloved Morupelo music—specifically Otlokweng and Sempyerere Saka (My Whistle) by the Bushbuckridge-based group Momathema. The latter’s song was a campaign anthem crafted in his honour, a Sepulana ode echoing Jacob Zuma’s Umshini Wam in rhythm and purpose.
Instead, gospel stalwarts Masibuyele KuJehova delivered soul-stirring hymns that Mabuza adored. In life, he honoured the group with a sponsored bus, which they still drive to minister across the country. On this day, they returned the favour—one note at a time.
The man who once ruled Mpumalanga with a firm yet giving hand is expected to be laid to rest later today in a private burial at his Barberton homestead.
His final journey, now underway, marks the end of a chapter—but not the echo of his name.
