It might surprise many to learn that Mathews Phosa – businessman, lawyer and former ANC treasurer-general – once flew high as a karate green belt, guarded goals on the soccer field, boxed with promise and cooked with pride.
At 73, he still dons his apron with the same conviction he brings to boardrooms and political debates, preparing curry, fish, and prawns with a vadoek slung over his shoulder – a gesture rooted in memory, tradition and self-reliance.
“I loved catching and kicking the ball. I enjoyed karate; I used to fly high with my kicks. But my father forced me to stop boxing, telling me, ‘you have to stop that boxing because I need your brain in future’,” he says.
He is grateful to his grandmother who taught him how to cook pap; and to his industrious father who taught him baking, cooking and even coffin-making.
“Don’t rely on a woman to cook for you,” Phosa said his granny told him.
A life of service
Born in the old Mbombela township on the outskirts of Nelspruit (now called Mbombela, named after the former township), upon reaching school-going age, Phosa lived with his grandparents to follow a Bapedi tradition for boys to go and look after their grandparents and run errands for them.
As his newly-published autobiography Witness To Power: A Political Memoir states, his parents were caught in the quagmire of land dispossession when their farm in Botlokwa in the Eastern Transvaal was confiscated and turned into a communal trust soon after the DF Malan-led National Party came to power in 1948.
Phosa witnessed his parents’ forced removal from their land.
Two of his siblings became teachers, following in their father’s footsteps. But Phosa chose to study law at the University of the North (now University of Limpopo) and became a student activist.
‘I did not see Sisulu or Mandela steal’
Later, he operated secretly as an ANC underground activist before he was forced into exile in Mozambique. Phosa converses fluently in Afrikaans. But he refuses to accept the idea that, as a stalwart and being outspoken, he is the conscience of the ANC – he rejects corruption.
He learned and witnessed ethical leadership from upright leaders whom he vowed to emulate.
“We suckled from the breasts of the best of the ANC leaders who all represented the essence of what the ANC members should be,” he says. “I did not see [Walter] Sisulu or [Nelson] Mandela steal, but they spoke of values of respect, dignity and of service to the people.
“It was ingrained in us what the ANC is and what it stands for. I find it difficult to deviate from what I learned from them.”
Defending ‘rogues’
As a lawyer and respected leader of the ANC, Phosa believed in social justice, even inside the ANC. This is what motivated him to represent “all the rogues” of the party when they faced disciplinary actions. At ANC hearings, he defended members such as Julius Malema, Zizi Kodwa, Malusi Gigaba, David Mahlobo and Cedric Frolick, who were charged for bringing the party into disrepute.
He has not finished.
ANC official Obed Bapela, who has been charged by the ANC for contradicting party policy on Morocco and Western Sahara, has approached Phosa to represent him.
“They want a good lawyer. I am now fighting for Bapela. Even Jacob Zuma came to me when he was charged. But I told him I was busy campaigning,” he says. “They come to me because they know I know the ANC constitution and I am fair.”
Standing up for justice and accountability
Though Phosa may have a soft spot for those who seek justice, he doesn’t do it blindly. This was proven when, as chair of a working group at Codesa, he stood his ground and single-handedly opposed Vlakplaas General Izak “Krappies” Engelbrecht, who tried to convince Phosa to accept that “my men” [referring to Vlakplaas unit] should be given general amnesty.
Engelbrecht, along with then police minister Hernus Kriel, failed to win Phosa over. He stood up and walked out, telling the two “it won’t happen”.
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Business
Like his father, Phosa is involved in various businesses, with mining being the primary focus.
“Before I went into exile, I was running a law firm, a mortuary at Plaston outside White River, a general dealer at Mjindini township in Barberton and a construction company that built Mango College outside White River.
“After work from the law firm, I used to go to the township to sell sugar, salt and soap. Both the late Soweto business tycoon Richard Maponya and African Bank founder Sam Motsuenyane were my inspirations,” Phosa says.
He is now a business big shot, serving as chair of Jubilee PLC, the world’s largest chrome processing company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The firm operates in several countries in the Southern African Development Community region, including Zambia, where it processes copper.
He also owns an avocado farm in Tzaneen, Limpopo. His farming operations extend to other parts of the world, including South America, North America, Asia, West Africa and Australia.
Ethical conduct
Whether in politics or business, Phosa believes in ethical conduct and accountability – values he has instilled in his four children, one of whom has since died.
In whatever they do, he encourages them to keep receipts, maintain proper bookkeeping, and account for every cent spent and every income received.
He derives the greatest pleasure from giving back to the community as part of his company’s social responsibility.
He trains young people in agriculture and mining, delivers books to communities for free, and provides food parcels to destitute families.
His story reminds people that true power lies not in titles or wealth, but in the quiet choices made daily – to serve, to account and to never forget where one comes from.
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