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6 April 2005

The late Chief-Minister of the KaNgwane government, Dr Enos Mabuza will be remembered with the holding of a symposium in his honour in Nelspruit, this Saturday.

Making the announcement, the chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Symposium in the Memory of Dr Enos Mabuza, businessperson, Dr Matthews Phosa, said the event was aimed at "remembering and honouring someone that has made such an immense contribution to the well-being of the people of our region and the country as a whole".

Deputy-President Jacob Zuma and University of South Africa vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Barney Pityana will be among the speakers at the symposium.

Mabuza died in December 1996. He had already quit politics and was a director of several companies, including Nail (which he helped found), Standard Bank, SA Breweries, etc. He was also the chairperson of the National Parks Board, which has since been renamed SA National Parks.

A qualified educator, Mabuza quit teaching to join politics in 1978 when he was appointed chief executive officer of the kaNgwane Legislative Assembly. He later became the homeland's first Chief Minister when the territory was declared a self-governing homeland in 1984.

He made a mark in politics when he fought a legal and political battle to stop moves by the governments of South Africa and Swaziland to cede the territory to the latter. The move would have seen approximately a million inhabitants of the territory lose their South African citizenship and become Swazi citizens.

"Some of us will remember and respect Mabuza for the fact that he made no secret about his opposition to apartheid in spite of serving in one of its structures," said Phosa.

Phosa, a long time friend and comrade of Mabuza, was referring to the late homeland leader's dealings with the ANC as well as his working relationship with the United Democratic Front (UDF) at the time when the two were banned.

"We (the ANC) had a very good working relationship with Mabuza," said Phosa, adding that the symposium would be one occasion where he and Zuma would talk about some of the engagements the exiled ANC had had with Mabuza, which are still unknown to many in the public.

The event will start at 11:00am at the Emnotweni Arena.

Media enquiries:
Dr Matthews Phosa
Chairperson of the Organizing Committee
Cell: 082 553 4065

Enoch Sithole
Convener of the Organising Committee

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
6 April 2005