A senior ANC leader has called for an investigation into the “poisoning” of late former deputy president David Dabede Mabuza.
The former Mpumalanga premier died in Sandton, Johannesburg, last week in what has been referred to as “complications from the poisoning”.
The call for a probe comes from ANC NEC member Cathy Dlamini, who served under Mabuza during his first term as Mpumalanga premier.
She told Sunday World in an exclusive interview that while the matter was personal, closure was urgently needed.
Dlamini is one of the few leaders who can speak not only as a comrade but also as someone whose political rise was shaped by Mabuza’s mentorship.
“I worked in the Premier’s Office as the director of monitoring during his first stint as premier of Mpumalanga. We had a very good working relationship. Comrade Mabuza was [later] adamant that he was poisoned, and we saw his health deteriorate. As the prominent leader he was, questions will linger in the minds of his supporters until closure is established.”
Dlamini had always insisted that the poisoning not be taken lightly: “My stance is if there is any evidence of poisoning, it should be thoroughly investigated. It is for the family and law enforcement to decide what they want on the matter. We are here to support the family.”
The poisoning is now part of Mpumalanga’s most guarded political lore. In August 2015, Mabuza donated food parcels, school uniforms and Shova Kalula bicycles to poor pupils as part of his 54th birthday celebrations in Bushbuckridge.
Shortly thereafter, he fell ill.
As his condition rapidly worsened, he was admitted to Mediclinic in Mbombela. Days later, he was airlifted to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg and then transferred to Little Company of Mary, a Catholic hospital in Pretoria. There, he later said, the harmonious singing of Christian hymns by the nursing staff had brought him back from the brink of death.
His disappearance during convalescence fuelled rumours of death, betrayal and factional sabotage. But when he returned to office in November 2015 – calm and composed – he declared: “The Cat is back.”
He would later disclose that then-president Jacob Zuma had stepped in to arrange treatment in Russia. Only in 2016 would he publicly confirm that he had been poisoned.
Yet, there has never been an official inquiry, no perpetrator was named, and no arrest was made. The question of who poisoned Mabuza, and why, was quietly buried.
However, his family declined to comment on whether relatives supported a call for a probe, only saying his agony was something they would never forget.
During Mabuza’s memorial service this week at Phola Trust, outside Hazyview, his sister Zandile Mabuza described the emotional toll of watching her brother suffer in silence.
“On the 30th of April, we were here burying our uncle. My brother was leading the family,” she said. “After the funeral… I asked him if I should give him a drink, and he said he was fine. But when I looked at him, my brother was not fine, but he pretended to be strong for us.”
Mabuza succumbed to his decade-long illness after experiencing breathing difficulties on July 3.
Asked whether the ANC could have done more during his health crisis, Dlamini stated, “I don’t believe it was up to the ANC to invade his privacy unless he asked for assistance. The ANC has always been considerate of members’ health and personal needs; his situation was no different.”
As a parting reflection, Dlamini paid tribute to Mabuza’s lifetime of public service, even as it came at personal cost.
“One thing we can take away from the legacy of comrade Mabuza is that service to the people is a lifelong commitment. He served from a young age right up to his untimely passing.”
Mabuza was laid to rest in a private ceremony at his Barberton home, following a Category 2 state funeral held at Bergvlam High School in Mbombela.
His son, Mxolisi David Junior, declined to comment on the call for a probe, saying, “No, comment, my brother.”
