Mbombela – The family of late former South African deputy president David “DD” Mabuza is locked in a legal dispute over his R44.7-million pension payout following his death on July 3, 2025.
Tamara Silinda, Mabuza’s daughter, filed an urgent application in the Mpumalanga High Court at Mbombela to stop Alexander Forbes from paying the full pension to Mabuza’s wife, Nonhlanhla Patience Mnisi. Silinda claims her father was also married to her mother, Emunah Silinda, under customary law. She is seeking funds to cover university tuition, accommodation, and a monthly allowance that she previously received from her father.
The matter is scheduled for hearing next Tuesday. According to court documents, the dispute revolves around whether the late deputy president was single or married at the time of his death, as his death certificate lists his marital status as “never married.” 
Court papers indicate that the first respondent, Mnisi, obtained a marriage certificate from the Department of Home Affairs after Mabuza’s death. Silinda’s legal team argues that this certificate is invalid and its use to claim the pension is legally and morally flawed. The argument cites legal precedent stating that any right obtained through fraud is unenforceable.
Tamara Silinda’s lawyers argue that naming Mnisi as the sole beneficiary excludes other lawful dependants, including the applicant herself, a major dependant. The application seeks equitable distribution of the R44-million annuity among all dependants, in line with constitutional protections for children’s rights.
According to the court filing, Silinda requests that the second respondent, Alexander Forbes, be directed to make maintenance payments for her tuition at the University of Cape Town amounting to R127,990, alongside R40,000 for monthly upkeep, with further payments to follow as the estate allows.
South African investigative journalist Leonard Mzilikazi Ndzukula, professionally known as Mzilikazi wa Afrika, reported on the unfolding family dispute.
