The Presidency has remained tight-lipped on how much the state spent on the funeral of former deputy president David Dabede Mabuza, who was laid to rest last week with full official honours.
Despite serving as second-in-command to President Cyril Ramaphosa until 2023, Mabuza’s final farewell has become a point of silence for the very institution he once helped lead.
Mabuza passed away on July 3, 2025, and was honoured with a Category 2 Official Funeral, which is reserved for distinguished leaders.
The event drew dignitaries, military guards, and a national broadcast, all suggesting a significant financial outlay.
When Sunday World approached the Presidency for answers, spokesperson Vincent Magwenya declined to provide figures.
“We’ve had a number of official funerals to date,” Magwenya said, noting that costs are “accounted for in the Presidency’s annual report”.
However, a review of the 2023/2024 Presidency annual report shows that 16 funerals were accorded official status during that financial year, but crucially, the report contains no cost breakdown for any of the funerals listed.
Presidency’s annual report
When pressed on whether Mabuza’s funeral figures could be isolated or whether emergency procurement was used, Magwenya still did not want to offer an explanation.
“It’s going to be difficult to get the team to work on one funeral just for your query,” he said. “You’ll have to, unfortunately, wait for the Presidency’s annual report for the details you are looking for.”
That means South Africans may need to wait forever before they know how much of their taxes was used to bid farewell to the Mpumalanga political godfather.
Questions sent by Sunday World also sought to understand which departments contributed to the funeral logistics and whether proper procurement processes were followed.
These questions were not answered.
For now, the full cost of saying goodbye to the former deputy president remains unknown — buried as quietly as the man himself.
