Mkhwanazi, champion of BEE, dies of heart attack

"Big Don" Mkhwanazi, a tycoon with a booming voice and inimitable style, died of a heart attack in Durban early yesterday morning.

South Africa's godfather of BEE was at a friend's house-warming party in La Lucia, not far from his home in Umhlanga, when he died.

His friend of more than 20 years, Moses Tembe, said Mkhwanazi slumped in his chair at about 3am.

He was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Mkhwanazi, 64, was a politically connected Durban businessman and a top ally of President Jacob Zuma. He helped to form the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust.

Earlier this year, he offered to help Zuma repay his Nkandla debt.

Mkhwanazi has three children with his first wife, Khasi, and two with his second wife, businesswoman Zodwa Msimang. She is currently travelling in the US.

He was passionate about mentoring the youth and made sure that young and upcoming businessmen and businesswomen were adequately skilled

Mkhwanazi was the president of the Black Management Forum from 1986 to 1991. He was a central figure in the National Empowerment Fund and was involved in the KwaZulu-Natal Growth Coalition.

He courted controversy when, as chairman of the Central Energy Fund in the mid-'90s, he appointed former Liberian finance minister Emmanuel Shaw as an adviser at R3-million a year.

Mkhwanazi was born in Chesterville. His father was an English teacher and his mother a nurse. He obtained a BA from the University of Zululand and an MBA from the erstwhile University of Natal.

"We will miss him. His mannerisms were unique. That booming voice was unmistakable," said Tembe. "One of his most outstanding characteristics was that he was such an open book. If he had a problem with you, you heard it from him - not from someone next door."

Tembe called Mkhwanazi "brutally honest" but loyal to his friends and associates.

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Tembe said Mkhwanazi's first job was as a trainee at Unilever. After that he was marketing manager at Shell during the mid-'70s. He then became involved in a variety of businesses and sat on a number of boards, including New Africa Investments Ltd and Alpha Cement, and served as chairman of the engineering consulting firm Gibb.

Tributes poured in yesterday, including from Zuma, who said: "Our cause of radical economic transformation has lost one of its major champions."

Prasheen Maharaj, CEO at Southern African Shipyards, said he had lost a close business associate, and "the whole nation has lost a leader".

Maharaj said Mkhwanazi had helped to reduce inequality in South Africa.

Dumile Cele, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Mkhwanazi would be remembered for his influence in transforming economic development.

"He was passionate about mentoring the youth and made sure that young and upcoming businessmen and businesswomen were adequately skilled."

The chamber's president, Zeph Ndlovu, said Mkhwanazi had pushed for empowerment.

ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said Mkhwanazi's passing "deals a great blow to ... the black business fraternity in which he was a towering figure".

He applauded Mkhwanazi's role in empowerment.

olifantn@sundaytimes.co.za, magwazan@sundaytimes.co.za

As previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Don Mkhwanazi was a founder of the Black Management Forum. He was actually the president of the organisation from 1986 to 1991. We regret the error