Tito Mboweni, South Africa’s former finance and labor minister, has died at the age of 65 after a brief illness, according to a statement from the presidency on Saturday.
Mboweni was a key figure in the anti-apartheid movement during his student years and became the country’s first labor minister from 1994 to 1999 under President Nelson Mandela. He served as the governor of the South African Reserve Bank from 1999 for a decade and later took on the role of finance minister from 2018 to 2021 under President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The African National Congress (ANC) honored Mboweni, noting his significant impact on South Africa’s democratic transition. He played a crucial role in establishing post-apartheid labor laws that supported collective bargaining and the creation of labor courts. As governor of the central bank, he introduced inflation targeting to maintain price stability.
President Ramaphosa expressed his shock at Mboweni’s death, recognizing him as a leader, activist, and champion of labor rights. Mboweni was also a close ally of Ramaphosa and served on the ANC’s National Executive Committee.
