Former South African Finance Minister and Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni has died at the age of 65 following a short illness, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday.
Mr Mboweni, who served as the country’s first post-apartheid Labour Minister under Nelson Mandela, was praised by Mr Ramaphosa as an “activist, economic policy innovator and champion of labour rights”.
President Ramaphosa expressed shock at Mr Mboweni’s passing, noting his “sense of vitality and energetic and affable engagement with fellow South Africans”.
“As Governor and Finance Minister, he had a sharp focus on fiscal discipline and economic transformation,” Mr Ramaphosa said in a statement.
Born in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, Mr Mboweni played a crucial role in shaping South Africa’s economic policies during its transition to democracy and beyond.
He served as Labour Minister from 1994 to 1999 before becoming Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, a position he held for a decade. In 2018, he returned to government as Finance Minister in President Ramaphosa’s cabinet, serving until 2021.
The president also highlighted Mr Mboweni’s work in the private sector and his role as a “flag bearer in global forums for our economy and developing economies more broadly”.
Known for his active presence on social media, Mr Mboweni had become something of an online celebrity in recent years, often sharing his culinary adventures and promoting the cuisine of his hometown, Modjadjiskloof.
“His passing is a great loss,” President Ramaphosa concluded. “May his soul rest in peace.”
