Farewell to Tito Mboweni: South Africa Mourns the Loss of Former Finance Minister

Following the passing of Tito Mboweni, the former finance minister and South African Reserve Bank governor, many continue to share their condolences. A tweet from 2018 has resurfaced, revealing Mboweni’s expressed wishes for when he could no longer breathe.

Mboweni, aged 65, passed away on Saturday night after a brief illness.

In the tweet, Mboweni recounted a conversation with his son in which he conveyed his satisfaction with his life’s accomplishments.

“My son saw my earlier tweet, and he asked: ‘What else do you want to do?’” the tweet read. 

“Nothing. I have done everything a reasonable human being would have wanted to achieve in life. Just give me a decent burial when my time comes to go. He said, ‘you are going nowhere’ .That’s nice of him,” he mentioned in the tweet.  

Mboweni, who kept his family life private, often shared lighthearted moments with his 1.5 million social media followers. Some appreciated his take on political events, while others followed him for his sense of humour. Mboweni held the position of finance minister from 2018 to 2021. He also served as the eighth governor of the Reserve Bank and was the first black South African to do so from 1999 to 2009. Prior to this, he was the labour minister from 1994 to 1999. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his deep sorrow at Mboweni’s passing, while the ANC praised his life as a demonstration of sacrifice, commitment, and selfless dedication to the people of South Africa. The Reserve Bank honoured Mboweni, recognizing his invaluable contributions during his time as governor.

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Dennis Bloem, the spokesperson for the lobby group, expressed that South Africa has lost an individual who served the country with dedication. He stated that, “He was loyal, principled and hardworking. Comrade Tito Mboweni leaves this earth without any scandal of corruption. I know that comrade Tito Mboweni hated corruption with passion. His only goal was to see the lives of people getting better. Comrade Tito Mboweni was a good-hearted human being, very humble. We convey our heartfelt condolences to Comrade Tito Mboweni’s family, friends and his political home the ANC. May his soul rest in peace.”