The legacy of the late Tito Mboweni’s brown Clarks lace-up shoes
Underneath the tough-talking, no-nonsense politician, Mboweni’s sense of humour seldom failed - while many will say he leaves big shoes to fill, his actual shoes have become much of a talking point over the years.
FILE: Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivers 2020 Budget speech in the National Assembly, Cape Town. Mboweni passed away on 12 October 2024. Picture: GCIS
CAPE TOWN - The legacy of Tito Mboweni, the country’s first labour minister, eighth South African Reserve Bank governor (SARB), and former finance minister, will undoubtedly dominate the news on Sunday.
But underneath the tough-talking, no-nonsense politician, Mboweni’s sense of humour seldom failed.
While many will say he leaves big shoes to fill, his actual shoes have become much of a talking point over the years.
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As much as he loved to crack a joke, Mboweni was also able to be the butt of one.
After nine years away from government, he stepped into his new role as finance minister in 2018 in a very well-worn pair of brown, Clarks lace-up shoes.
When they first attracted attention on Twitter, now X, at an African National Congress (ANC) briefing, Mboweni laughed it off, insisting there was nothing wrong with them, even if they looked rather battered against his business suits.
In Parliament, on budget day he would point down at his shoes for the day, indicating his favourite pair, the laces of which were often untied, had been left at home.
To prove his loyalty to clothing that served him well, Mboweni also posted a picture of himself in 2022 wearing a brown leather jacket he said had been bought in 1994.
Just like his Clarks shoes, he joked they were still in good condition, with words of advice to the Twitterati: don’t change what works for you.
Last December, he again posted a picture on X, wearing his favourite shoes and expressing dismay after his son, Tumi, told him they had become rather famous in South Africa.
In May 2024, he followed up with another post, picturing both the well-known pair and his new replacements — an updated version of brown Clarks — with the caption: “Out with the old, and in with the new.”
Mboweni’s legacy as an austerity finance minister was one in both word and deed.