Latest news with #Phosa
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Mathews Phosa: 'The Madiba I knew'
Dr. Mathews Phosa reflects on Nelson Mandela's legacy on Mandela International Day Image: Thabo Makwakwa As the world commemorates Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18-an annual global tribute to the revered leader's life and legacy-veteran ANC stalwart Mathews Phosa has offered a heartfelt reflection on Mandela's life, describing him as 'the university of life' who imparted invaluable principles of leadership, unity, and perseverance. Mandela died on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95 due to a prolonged respiratory infection. In an exclusive interview with IOL, Phosa explained Mandela's role as a unifying figure and a teacher whose experiences shaped not only South Africa's liberation but also the nation's moral fabric. 'Over 35 years ago, I was a commander of the army based in Mozambique, responsible for military operations in the so-called Eastern Transvaal, Natal, and parts of the Eastern Cape.' He detailed how he was summoned to Lusaka to meet Mandela shortly after his release from prison. "He said to me, 'Boy, I am so happy to meet you,' Phosa recalled. 'Last week, I was in Kwanyamazane addressing a rally when I met your law partner, Phineus Mojapelo. He told me he had come to fetch me.' 'I asked, 'What do you mean? You're here to fetch me?' Because I knew that if I touched down in South Africa, I could be arrested - I had been wanted. Yet Mandela insisted, 'I am coming to fetch you.'' Phosa described his feelings as he prepared to return home. 'Thabo Mbeki gave me a British Airways ticket to fly to Mozambique. I asked who would receive me upon my return. 'Mbeki told me, 'Don't worry, the people who will receive you, just go home.' I asked how he could say that, but I trusted him as a soldier—if he said left, I went left.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ As he flew back to South Africa, Phosa experienced a surge of pride. 'I realised that this country was the best - it's a beautiful country. That's what we fought for, the freedom of this country was worth dying for.' At the airport, Phosa recounted, 'Men came to me and asked, 'Are you Mathews?' I said no. Then they asked, 'Are you Fredy Phosa?' I said, 'Which Fredy are you looking for?' They said they were looking for Freddy Mathews Phosa.' He clarified, 'I told them, 'I am Freddy Makwakwa, Freddy Maputo, I was many Freddies, and they said they were looking for Fredy Maputo, and then I agreed.' He said that because he was in exile and had a Ghanaian passport, he was asked to explain how he obtained it. 'They stamped my passport and asked where I got it. I explained I was in exile and had to have that passport.' He described how he called his partner, Mojapelo, to fetch him at the airport, but due to a lack of cell phone communication, Mojapelo was unable to find him. 'Along the way, they told me they were taking me to Vlaakplas and that they had heard I interrogated some apartheid officials there, but they were just scaring me,' Phosa said. According to Phosa, a few days later, Phosa and leaders like Mandela, former president Jacob Zuma, and others began negotiations that culminated in South Africa's democratic constitution. 'We couldn't even see our families or move freely at the time - it was so dangerous. We had to ensure negotiations started peacefully,' he recalled. He reflected on his clandestine visits to Pretoria's Mabopane, where he met with his wife and mother before heading to Cape Town to prepare for the negotiations for Codesa. He stated that the apartheid government had issues with the delegation that was to represent the ANC. 'We insisted that we be part of the delegation, refusing to accept Afrikaner attempts to exclude leaders like Chris Hani and Joe Slovo. Then the acting president, former President De Klerk, agreed to let us be part of the negotiations.' Phosa described Mandela as a 'father figure' who taught them basic principles of life, negotiation, and peace. 'Standing next to Mandela at 38, as his advisor, was a privilege,' he said. 'He was a university of life. He told us, 'You need to make peace with your enemies because you already have peace with your comrades and friends. You must impose peace, whether by violence or dialogue.' He also shared insights into Mandela's meticulous approach to speeches. 'Mandela would never read a speech unless we approved it. He wrote most speeches he delivered, but he understood that his words carried weight, and he wanted them to reflect his true message.' Phosa highlighted Mandela's ability to think with his head, not just his heart. 'He taught us not to think with our hearts but our heads. When the armed struggle was suspended, it was a tough time, including the collapse of initial negotiations,' he explained. He recounted the efforts to revive negotiations through 'working groups' and the formation of teams led by Cyril Ramaphosa to address issues like the constitution and the nation's future. As South Africa continues to build on Mandela's legacy, Phosa affirmed that 'Mandela was the source of unity. His life was a testament to reconciliation, hope, and resilience. He showed us that even in the darkest times, perseverance and peace could forge a new nation.' Reflecting on Mandela's profound influence, Phosa remarked, 'He was not just a leader but a teacher, a father figure, and a university of life itself. His principles remain our guiding light. As we celebrate his life, remember that his legacy is about building peace, unity, and a better future for all.' IOL Politics
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Mathews Phosa: They did not call David Mabuza 'The Cat' for nothing
The ANC top six which emerged from the 54th ANC national conference in 2017 - deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte, secretary-general Ace Magashule, chairperson Gwede Mantashe, president Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy president David Mabuza and treasury-general Paul Mashatile. Image: Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng/IOL Former Mpumalanga premier, Dr Mathews Phosa, has paid tribute to former deputy President David Dabede Mabuza who also hailed from Mpumalanga and also previously served as premier of the province from 2009 to 2018. IOL reported on Thursday that Mabuza died in hospital at the age of 64. He served as deputy president during President Cyril Ramaphosa's first term at the Union Buildings. On Friday, as tributes continue to pour for the man nicknamed 'The Cat' in South African politics due to his survival instinct, Phosa described Mabuza as a shrewd politician who contributed significantly to South Africa. 'He was a very shrewd politician. They call him the cat, not for nothing, he had many political tricks which entertained people. It got him where he got at the end of the day,' Phosa said in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika. As tributes pour in, many people are remembering Mabuza for his skillful maneuvering at the African National Congress (ANC) 2017 elective conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg, where the then Mpumalanga premier became kingmaker in Ramaphosa's path to the Union Buildings. Widely believed to be a backer of contender Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Mabuza at the last minute threw his decisive weight behind Ramaphosa, a move which earned him the second-in-command position in South Africa. Reminiscing on the thriller conference, Phosa said Mabuza consulted him before making the tough decision. 'DD was initially standing with Nkosazana. I remember when we stood outside the conference room, he said what do I do? I said we have thrown our lot with comrade Cyril. He said he was being pulled this way and that way. I said to him it is a democracy and he had a right to choose, and he must decide and follow his heart. He supported comrade Cyril Ramaphosa," said Phosa. 'That is how the whole vote was swung against Nkosazana.' Mabuza and Phosa did not always have a rosy relationship. In 2017, IOL reported that Mabuza, then premier of Mpumalanga, lost his R10-million defamation lawsuit against Phosa, who is also former ANC treasurer-general. Former ANC treasurer-general, Mathews Phosa. Newspapers. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Judge Bill Prinsloo in the High Court in Pretoria not only dismissed the claim, but he also slapped Mabuza with a punitive costs order. Mabuza claimed Phosa defamed him in a spy report, which was published in the media, when he was already the premier of Mpumalanga. He claimed Phosa was the author of the report in which the premier was made out to be an apartheid spy. It contained claims that Mabuza was involved in the murder of former ANC activist Portia Shabangu. She was assassinated in the 80's by the controversial head of Vlakplaas, Eugene de Kock. Phosa earlier testified that he never compiled the so-called spy report. He said an unmarked envelope was found on the veranda of his White River farmhouse. Inside the envelope was a document which later became known as the so-called spy report. 'I was shocked by its content and worried about it, as it referred to the premier. The allegations were so serious that I decided to hand it over to the ANC top structures. If the allegations were true, the report could harm the ANC leadership. Only a traitor of the ANC would hide it from them.' Phosa said he forwarded the report to then ANC secretary-general Jessie Duarte, as before this she had visited him to discuss party issues. At the end of the meeting Duarte, out of the blue, asked him 'who is this David Mabuza', he said. Former deputy secretary general of the ANC, Jessie Duarte. Image: Nhlanhla Phillips/Independent Media 'When I held office as premier of Mpumalanga, I appointed Mabuza as education MEC and he served under me as part of my executive cabinet.' After this Phosa did not hear anything until a reporter phoned and asked him whether he knew that Mabuza was going to sue him. Phosa denied that he had anything to do with the report and said his former butler, Jan Venter – who is at the centre of this dispute – lied when he implicated him (Phosa). Venter testified that he overheard Phosa 'concocting' the spy allegations against Mabuza. But the controversial butler twice switched sides. In the end, Judge Prinsloo ruled that he could not find that Phosa was the author of the document. Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa has also paid tribute to his former deputy, Mabuza. Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences to Mabuza's family. "On behalf of government and the nation, I offer my profound condolences to the late deputy president's wife, Mrs Mabuza, and their children. I extend my condolences to deputy president Mabuza's friends and the people of Mpumalanga whom he served as Premier from 2009 to 2018, and previously as a member of the executive council of Mpumalanga across a range of portfolios." He said Mabuza had a deep commitment to the liberation struggle and to the nation's development as an inclusive, prosperous, democratic state.
Daily Maverick
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Mathews Phosa's memoir is a bold narrative of political influence and resilience
This book is an elegy to a beloved political party and a failing, if not failed state. Mathews Phosa is devastating in his truthfulness, and stunning in his attempt to be generous to friend and foe alike. To bring her children up and to provide them with as much supplementary home-schooling support as she could, Reshoketjoe Phosa, Mathews Phosa's mother, indefinitely postponed the start of her own career as a professional nurse. She was a natural-born entrepreneur, a biscuit vendor and a maker and seller of ladies' hats as well as a prize-winning retailer of a popular brand of pyjamas. His father, Paul Phosa, was a teacher, principal and a serial builder of schools in many villages scattered around Nelspruit. This thanks to his artisan training in carpentry, building and plumbing, as well as his training as a teacher. When Mathews Phosa was of school-going age, his parents sent him back to their own roots — a farm called Polen near Mokopane — where he was raised by his grandfather Mathews Phosa Senior, after whom he was named. Grandpa Phosa was a devout Christian and a strict disciplinarian who was determined to shelter, cushion and shield his grandson from the 'contamination' and the dangers of South African politics. But guess what: as soon as Matthew Phosa 'broke free' from Grandpa's leash and became a high school student at Maripi High School in 1967, he dived headlong into the furious river of South African (student) politics, only to come up for air 50-something years later. Phosa's political memoir Witness to Power is an attempt to narrate and to review, in 18 chapters, his 50-something year journey into politics. More than a Witness We must resist Mathews Phosa's spirited, if also poetic, attempt to have us believe that he was a mere 'witness to power' as the title of his latest book and its contents seem to suggest. I put this to Phosa as we talked about his most recent work, Witness to Power: A Political Memoir, at the 'VC Book of the Month' conversation held at the Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria Campus, on 3 June 2025. The noun 'witness' conjures up the image of a curious spectator, a disinterested onlooker, a passive observer, an innocent bystander, an outsider who happened to be eavesdropping, from time to time, or someone compelled, by force of law, to testify. Phosa was and is none of the above. Not only has he been influential in the ANC, but his influence has been both national and international — putting him on first-name terms with several African presidents. In this book, he takes special pride in his unofficial role as ANC deal-breaker, kingmaker and king-breaker, as well as his informal roles as adviser and confidante to former presidents Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma as well as his close relationship with Thabo Mbeki in exile. He fondly recalls his camaraderie with Cyril Ramaphosa, a fellow student at Turfloop in the 1970s. Phosa puts a high premium on his relationship with Mandela, who, he suggests, sought his advice on who to appoint as deputy president of the country in 1994. At that time, Phosa voted for Mbeki, we are told. But things would later change. More than three decades of influence Phosa bitterly laments in various chapters of his book how former president Mbeki refused to reappoint him for a second term as premier of Mpumalanga. He ruminates over his time as treasurer-general of the ANC, member of the National Executive Committee and his failed attempt to become deputy president and president of the ANC. After the ANC's 2007 Polokwane conference when an increasingly (self?) isolated Mbeki 'ruled the country as a lone ranger' and 'began to run programmes parallel to the ANC's national programme', Phosa took the lead in the formulation and tabling of the unprecedented NEC motion to recall Mbeki in September 2008. This happened moments after Phosa had discreetly approached Zuma, 'two seats away from me… and asked him, 'Mr President, do you still need Thabo?'' Later when Phosa 'witnessed corruption and State Capture under the Zuma presidency on a scale that we could not have imagined when we ascended to power in 1994', he did more than just speak against it. When Zuma sought his advice on whether to resign or not to resign in their marathon meeting during the night of 13 February, 2018, Phosa advised and persuaded Zuma to resign, which he did publicly, the next day. Clearly, Phosa cannot meaningfully be described as a mere 'witness to power'. Admittedly many may, and some will, disagree with Phosa's version of what went on in the corridors of power and his precise role in it. But few will deny that he has been influential. For more than 30 years, Phosa has been a wielder of power even if he did not get to exercise as much power as he may have fancied, for as long as he might have preferred. For the poet that Phosa is, it is possible that his idea of being a 'witness to power' is intended metaphorically — as a teaser rather than a clincher, not so much to denote as to provoke, and not so much impose as to evoke. Indeed, part of the original meaning of the noun 'witness' is taken from the classical Greek word from which we have inherited the word 'martyr'. In its original meaning, a martyr is someone unafraid to bear witness even in the face of torture and at the risk of death. While Phosa may not be regarded as a martyr by any stretch of the imagination, perhaps his fearless denunciation of comrades and foes on matters of corruption and political principle has frequently exposed him to the dangers of character assassination, at least. Ready to wield power – again? The heart of this 18-chapter book is in chapters seven (Premier of Mpumalanga), eight (Trouble in [Mpumalanga] Paradise) and nine (Out of the Fold). These are easily some of the most emotional chapters in the book. Phosa seems to regard his tenure as premier as both the zenith and the nadir of his political power. Though he claims that the matter is water under the bridge, the incident of 24 April 2001 — when the then minister of police Steve Tshwete announced on national television that Phosa, Ramaphosa and Tokyo Sexwale were involved in a plot to harm and/or overthrow Mbeki, only to withdraw the allegations on 4 December, 2001 — appears to remain at once a sticking point and a turning point. Throughout his book, Phosa tries hard to maintain an air of objectivity and generosity, often finding reason to say something good about all the main characters in his book, with mixed results. Between, above and beneath the lines, behind and in front of the seemingly benign adjectives and adverbs that are occasionally summoned to describe friend and foe with kindness, the smell of anger, disappointment and fury is palpable across the pages of this book. This book is an elegy to a beloved political party and a failing, if not failed state. Phosa is devastating in his truthfulness, and stunning in his attempt to be generous to friend and foe alike. As he winds the book down to a hopeful end, Phosa says: 'In my own journey I have tasted both success and failure. After serving my term as premier of Mpumalanga, I was elected to the NEC of the ANC and later served as treasurer-general for a term. My nomination for deputy president did not succeed, nor did my later campaign for the presidency of the party. In success and failure, I have learnt a few lessons about the nature of politics in South Africa. … I stand ready to make a contribution again.' This passage is part of a repeated refrain in this book of anger and ferocity. Surely, this book is about more than a mere 'witness to power'! But could it be a political manifesto through which Phosa is announcing his readiness to stand (again) for election and for leadership? Could this be Phosa's version of Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope (2006), which was an integral but disguised part of the election manifesto that catapulted him into the US presidency in 2008? Phosa's Witness to Power may be a statement of farewell to political innocence, but nothing in it intimates, let alone announces, a loss of appetite for political power. DM
