By 
By Ross Moyo
Zimbabwe’s richest man, Strive Masiyiwa has paid his condolences to the government and people of South Africa on the passing on of his long-time friend and confidante, former Reserve Bank of South Africa Governor and former SA Minister of Finance and former labour Minister, Tito Mboweni.
Writing on his Facebook page, the Telcos billionaire said,
”My deep condolences
My dear friend Dr Tito Mboweni, South Africa’s former Minister of Finance, has passed. I had known him for nearly three decades, and he and I were on “speed dial” meaning we were actually buddies. Tito lived a life of dedicated service, working to grow the prosperity of South Africa’s people, nation, and the entire continent.”
Masiyiwa mentioned the two were not only friends for close to 30 years but but were technocrats meeting regularly with African presidents to advance Africa’s cause since the culmination of the African Union when it graduated from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
”I’m still processing this one and I might come back to it later in the week.
For now: The two of us were members of the African Union Reform Task Force, a team of experts drawn from across Africa that spent several years meeting with African leaders to undertake some of the most profound reforms since the AU was established.’
The business mogul mentioned how Mboweni started at a tender age to run government, adding,
”Tito was first appointed to Cabinet in 1994 by President Mandela, at the age of 34, as Minister of Labour, one of South Africa’s first post-apartheid government’s most challenging portfolios. That is how much confidence President Mandela had in him. Next in 1999 he became [the first black] Governor of South Africa’s Reserve Bank. He served there for 10 years, starting when he was 39!”
The Econet Founder paid tribute to South Africa’s finest praising all his milestone achievements and said,
”Tito spent years in industry where the two of us often met in business and socially. He came back to government in 2018 as Finance Minister.
His cousin brother Lincoln Mboweni who brought us together is one of my dearest family friends. My deepest condolences to him, Nolie and their family who made Tito part of my own family in the years we lived in South Africa.”
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