RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 17: H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa President of the Republic of South Africa, speaks during the Global Citizen Panels & Fireside Chats on November 17, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images for Global Citizen)
(The Post News)- President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the eulogy at the State Funeral of the late Deputy President David Mabuza, on Saturday, 12 July 2025, at Hoërskool Bergvlam, Mbombela, in Mpumalanga.
Ramaphosa declared that Mabuza’s funeral to be conducted guided by State Funeral Category 2 protocols, following his death on Thursday, 03 July 2025.
According to the Presidency, Mabuza served as Deputy President of South Africa from 2018 to 2023 and previously as Premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018. It is also stated that the late deputy president served in various executive roles in Mpumalanga, where he achieved more as a Leader of Government Business in Parliament and Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council.
“He played a pivotal role as South Africa’s Special Envoy to South Sudan, where he facilitated peace efforts and unity agreements,” the Presidency stated.
The Presidency further added that Mabuza was a respected unifier, who dedicated his leadership role to improving the lives of those in the most remote and disadvantaged communities.
It is also highlighted that Mabuza was a key player in mobilising the private sector in the national response to Human Immunodeficiency Viruses(HIV) and Tuberculosis (TB).
Mabuza, who was a teacher by profession and one of the founding members of South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), was described by the union as someone who understood and championed the power of education as a tool for liberation and transformation. SADTU said Mabuza’s commitment to education as a pillar of social justice was evident in his activism during the apartheid era, where he decided to be the advocate for non-racial and equitable education.
“He was instrumental in building the Union’s structures in the then Eastern Transvaal, now known as Mpumalanga. His efforts helped lay the foundation for a strong, non-racial, unitary teachers’ union committed to advancing the rights of educators and learners alike,” SADTU stated.
SADTU said Mabuza’s legacy is one of principled leadership, that was committed to social justice, and a deep-rooted belief in education as a foundation for freedom, adding that they will remember him as a teacher, and a revolutionary that never abandoned the classroom.
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