A family dispute has emerged over the R44.7 million pension payout of South Africa’s late former Deputy President David Mabuza, who died on July 3rd, 2025, without leaving a will.
His daughter, Tamara Silinda, has filed an urgent application in the Mpumalanga High Court to prevent the full amount from being paid to Mabuza’s widow, Nonhlanhla Patience Mnisi. The application argues that Mabuza was also customarily married to her mother, Emunah Silinda.
The case, scheduled for hearings in September 2025, cites Section 37C of the Pension Funds Act. This law requires that a pension fund’s board must identify and prioritize all financial dependents of the deceased, whether or not they were formally nominated as beneficiaries.
The legal challenge raises complex questions about inheritance rights in polygamous customary marriages and how pension funds should determine the fair distribution of assets when no will exists. The outcome will determine how the substantial pension payout is divided among the late deputy president’s family members.
