Tito Mboweni – Not afraid to say the right things and came to the defense of Afrikaners and Afrikaans

14 October 2024

Many tributes have already been paid to Mr Tito Mboweni, former minister and President of the Reserve Bank. Although the Afrikanerbond did not have regular contact with Mr Mboweni through our structures, we did have an impression of him as being someone who stands up for what is right — sometimes in the midst of controversy — without being afraid of any resulting criticism.

In October 2006, amid the ANC's drive for affirmative action and black economic empowerment, Tito Mboweni, then President of the Reserve Bank, said at an Investment Solutions breakfast meeting: "I have sought to recruit many competent black people, and no sooner have we trained them than they leave. I get so upset! I am stopping this recruitment of black people. I am okay with my Afrikaners. They stay and do the work."

The headline of a report in the Independent Group read: I'll stick with Afrikaners – and was the response of Mr Mboweni to a question from Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, still a businessman at the time. Mr Ramaphosa wanted to know what issues existed at the Reserve Bank. The same report quotes Mr Moeletsi Mbeki, a businessman and political analyst, as replying: "Tito Mboweni and the Reserve Bank are a victim of BEE (black economic empowerment)." What also happens with affirmative action is that "[i]t creates an artificial scarcity, so that the few people  qualified in that scarcity command a massive salary premium." Of course, the ANC and Cosatu reacted very critically.  This dilemma was already highlighted in 2006 and has become an even bigger and more pressing problem over the years.

Earlier this year Mr Moeletsi Mbeki was again quoted as saying that BEE and affirmative action were the main drivers of corruption in South Africa and did an injustice to the economy.

Mr Mboweni was also outspoken about the increasing downsizing and phasing out of Afrikaans at former Afrikaans universities. When the University of Pretoria decided in 2019 that English would become the primary language of instruction, Mr Mboweni wrote the following on X (formerly Twitter) on 24 January 2019: "I publicly, and in my personal capacity, DISAGREE, with the phasing out of Afrikaans as one of the mediums of teaching at the University of Pretoria. As a country, you are shooting yourselves down. You will regret it in 30 years' time."

Immediately afterwards there were around 4100 comments on the message, most of them negative. This includes Julius Malema, who was among the first to respond.

Tito Mboweni, former Minister of Finance in South Africa, was known for his steadfast leadership in challenging economic times. Although he was not specifically known as a champion of Afrikaans or Afrikaners, he confirmed with the above actions and comments that economic growth and inclusiveness are essential for all South Africans, regardless of their background. We can conclude from this that Mboweni believed in the importance of protecting minorities within a strong democratic framework. He did not hesitate to speak up for justice. From the ANC and within the government, Mr Tito Mboweni was not afraid to take a stand. He should be honoured for this.

Our sincere sympathy and condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Mr. Mboweni.

Issued by Jan Bosman, Chief Secretary, Afrikanerbond, 14 October 2024