POLL | How will you remember Tito Mboweni?

14 October 2024 - 12:12 By TIMESLIVE
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Tito Mboweni has been described as a man of many talents who never stopped learning.
Tito Mboweni has been described as a man of many talents who never stopped learning.
Image: Tito Mboweni/X

Describing Tito Mboweni in one word is difficult for mourners as he was a man of many talents. 

Mboweni died on Saturday after a short illness at the age of 65.

One could easily describe him as a numbers man as he served as finance minister from 2018 to 2021. He was also the first black South African governor of the Reserve Bank from 1999 to 2009. 

He served in former president Nelson Mandela’s cabinet as a labour minister from 1994 to 1999. 

Mboweni lived beyond his titles in governance and he also made contributions in academia. This year, he was appointed chancellor of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (formerly Medunsa) for five years.  

Mboweni had a BA degree in politics and economics from the National University of Lesotho and a master’s degree from the University of East Anglia. He was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University and the University of Johannesburg. 

He never stopped learning. In June he graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the Asia School of Business in Malaysia. 

His achievements did not make him dull as he constantly kept his 1.5-million followers on X entertained with his garlic stews and pilchard meals.

After retiring from government in 2021, he hung up his suits and embraced a different fashion. He wore “worn-out” Clark’s shoes, among other items, which he was teased about on social media.

In the last years of his life, he enjoyed staying at home in the Magoebaskloof mountain range, Polokwane. 

TimesLIVE


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