From politicians to food lovers, X tributes abound for Mboweni

The sudden passing of former South African Reserve Bank Governor and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has left many South Africans in shock, especially his loyal food-loving followers on X (formerly Twitter). Mboweni, who was known for his engaging social media presence, passed away at the age of 65 after a short illness.

I still cannot believe that our Twitter Chef, Tito Mboweni, has passed away at only 65.

Some people just deserve to live longer. I honestly didn’t see this one coming.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. 🕊️🕊️#RIPTitoMboweni pic.twitter.com/qoJ01VvopB

— P_MAX (@DDT_PM) October 12, 2024

A tweet from the Presidency confirmed the news, which many found surreal: “President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the passing of former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank and Labour and Finance Minister Dr. Tito Mboweni at the age of 65.”

Mboweni made history as the first Democratic Minister of Labour in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet. He later became the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, serving for a decade, and eventually took on the role of Finance Minister in 2018 under President Ramaphosa.

President Ramaphosa praised Mboweni for his dedication to public service, highlighting his “sense of vitality, energetic, and affable engagement with fellow South Africans.”

Mboweni’s death marks the loss of a prominent figure in South Africa’s political and economic landscape, and his contributions will be remembered for years to come.

This is how it ended. I enjoyed them bones. Home cooked meals are great. pic.twitter.com/c469h5y907

— Tito Mboweni (@tito_mboweni) September 23, 2024

I don’t really get emotional when politicians die but tito Mboweni got me feeling something, had interesting intellectual take on things became our twitter Chef & allowed us to make fun of him & enjoy all of him pic.twitter.com/KKAfjyvEX0

— ZiGiwashe 🇿🇼🇧🇼 (@_negomo) October 12, 2024