Rwandans have joined fellow Africans in paying tribute to South Africa’s former finance minister Tito Mboweni who died in a Johannesburg hospital on Saturday, October 12, after a short illness. ALSO READ: South Africa's former finance minister Tito Mboweni dies at 65 Mboweni served as South Africa’s finance minister between October 2018 and August 2021, in addition to serving in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet as labour minister between 1994 and 1999. A friend of Rwanda, Mboweni was a member of the advisory committee appointed by President Paul Kagame when he spearheaded the AU’s institutional reforms process. Mboweni visited Rwanda several times. ALSO READ: Kagame pays tribute to Tito Mboweni as 'a giant voice' for Africa Among the Rwandans who eulogised him is Donald Kaberuka, the former minister of finance, who referred to him as a man who fought a good fight, alluding to a scripture in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. “Go well Tito Mboweni. You fought the good fight, you finished the race, you kept the faith RIP Comrade. Your many friends across the continent salute you,” Kaberuka posted on X. Clare Akamanzi, the former CEO of Rwanda Development Board, currently CEO of NBA Africa, described Mboweni’s death as “very, very sad news.” President Paul Kagame also paid tribute to him, saying he was a giant voice for Africa and a champion of continental integration. I send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Tito Mboweni, and to President Ramaphosa and the government and people of South Africa. Tito Mboweni was a giant voice for Africa and a champion of continental integration. His counsel was invaluable in the effort of... — Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) October 13, 2024 Among the African figures who eulogized Mboweni is Amb. Moussa Faki, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, who praised him for having shaped many of South Africa’s post-1994 economic policies. “Continentally, his rigorous thought leadership and strategic vision to the AU reforms and the AU Peace Fund of which he was Chair, cannot be overstated,” Faki shared on X.
