David Mabuza's rise to power

Johannesburg - A damning article by the New York Times alleges that David Mabuza syphoned millions from schools in Mpumalanga to help him curry favour and buy the loyalty of influential ANC members. The support he enjoys in his home province has allowed him to amass enormous power within the ruling party.

But who is Mabuza and how did he manage to get himself appointed to the second most powerful position in government?

In February this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Mabuza would be his deputy president. The move was widely criticised by opposition parties who cited doubts about Mabusa's track record as the Mpumalanga premier.

Mabuza was elected deputy president of the ANC at its elective conference in December, where he was seen as a dark horse. 

Mabuza serves as the Premier of Mpumalanga and has been in the role since 2009. He commands strong support in his province which played a big part in elevating him to power. 

He has served in the Mpumalanga provincial government since 1994, first as the MEC for Education then as the MEC of housing from 1999 to 2001. 

Mabuza has also served as the MEC in a number of other portfolios including roads and transport, agriculture and administration. 

From 2001 until 2004, he was a Member of Parliament. 

Through his political influence and charm, Mabuza has served in the ANC Mpumalanga provincial executive committee (PEC) for over a decade.

In 2005, Mabuza was elected as deputy chairperson of the ANC in the province, which culminated in him being elected as chairperson in 2008. 

In the run-up to the ANC's 2007 elective conference, Mabuza played a key role in Jacob Zuma's rise to the presidency. He was part of a group of provincial leaders called the "Premier League" who were staunch supporters of Zuma.

Mabuza surprised many when he put his hand up for nomination for the position of ANC deputy president. 

His campaign was centred on "unity" of the ANC. So prominent was the call for unity in his campaign that most of the branches in his province opted to write "unity" on their nomination forms instead of nominating a candidate. 

Last year, Mabuza starting preaching about an end to factionalism, while admitting that he was part of the rise of factionalism within the ANC. 

During his first Q&A session in parliament as the country's deputy president Mabuza was questioned extensively on his links to the Gupta family. He denied owing them "favours".

Mabuza stood in for Cyril Ramaphosa as the head of state over past weekend when the latter travelled to Uganda for his son's wedding.

Mabuza has been in the headlines before for various issues including: 

* In 2010 R14 million was allegedly stolen from his farmhouse. 

* In 2015 he alleged that he was poisoned and had to take two months leave to recover from the attack. 

* Mabuza has been accused of being behind political killings in Mpumalanga, especially of his opponents. The killing of speaker Jimmy Mohlala in 2009 raised eyebrows and was allegedly linked to Mabuza. 

* He filed a R10 million lawsuit against former ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa for calling him a spy. The two don't get along.

* Allegations about Mabusa's involvement in tender fraud in Mpumalanga have been doing the rounds for years.