“The family is devastated by Governor Mboweni’s passing after a short illness. He passed away in hospital in Johannesburg on Saturday night surrounded by his loved ones,” reads the statement by Mboweni’s brother, Alto.
Further details will be released over the next few days.
An illustrious career
Mboweni (65) had an impressive CV in the new South Africa. He started out as labour minister under former president Nelson Mandela’s reign in 1994. He was the eighth governor of the SA Reserve Bank and the first black governor, serving for 10 years after his appointment in 1999.
In 2010, he entered the private sector as an international adviser to Goldman Sachs and held several director positions, including chair of AngloGold Ashanti.
In October 2018, he returned to public service as finance minister under President Cyril Ramaphosa and resigned in August 2021.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Mboweni’s sudden death highlights an enormous contribution and a sad loss
Well-loved on X (Twitter), where he became infamous for his recipe posts - including a traditional, simple meal of tinned pilchards - he last posted a meal on 23 September, with the simple statement: “This is how it ended. I enjoyed them bones. Home-cooked meals are great.”
His death comes barely a month after the passing of another ANC freedom fighter titan, Pravin Gordhan, who also served as finance minister. DM