Obituary: Retlabusa Mokonyane: Troubled son of Gauteng premier

Retlabusa Mokonyane, who committed suicide in Johannesburg at the age of 23, was the son of the premier of Gauteng, Nomvula Mokonyane.

He was in the news last week after being arrested for alleged drunk driving and crashing into a police car in Kagiso, west of Johannesburg.

Although under normal circumstances - the accident report stated that alcohol use was suspected - he would have spent the night in the cells, he was quickly released after police received an unexplained phone call.

That they might have let him go because of pressure, direct or indirect, from his mother was suggested by a policeman, who, when asked why Mokonyane had been released, said, "You have to understand who we're dealing with."

Mokonyane had a reputation in his community for thuggish behaviour and found himself on the wrong side of the law several times. A Sunday Times investigation revealed that he had convictions for theft of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen goods.

More than eight cases had been opened against him, including charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and abduction, but all eight were later withdrawn.

Days before his death, the Democratic Alliance demanded an investigation into the premier's alleged role in repeatedly getting her son off the hook, remarking that to have so many cases against one person withdrawn was "very suspicious".

Earlier this year, Mokonyane was linked to the explosion of a vehicle, which burned down part of a house in Kagiso.

According to local residents, the vehicle was stolen. His mother apparently visited the owner of the house and offered to rebuild it if the owner agreed to keep news of the incident from the police and insurance company.

Members of the community in Kagiso had no doubt that Mokonyane's privileged position as the premier's son gave him, as well as the rough crowd he hung out with, a sense of immunity from the consequences of their behaviour, and perhaps encouraged it.

Nomvula Mokonyane, an anti-apartheid activist, has told how she gave birth to Retlabusa in a police cell while being held in solitary confinement during the 1986 state of emergency.

She and her son had a close bond, but in a speech to Kagiso parents about drugs, alcohol and drunk driving, she betrayed something of the anguish the relationship was costing her.

"As a parent, I know what all mothers are going through," she said. "I am a mother and I, too, have to deal with problematic children every day."

Retlabusa matriculated at Krugersdorp High School in 2005 and enrolled at Boston College in Randburg for a course in marketing. He was listed as a director of a business called ARK Business Consultants.

He is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister.