Masilo Esau Mabeta (born 21 June 1947) is a South African diplomat and former politician. He was the South African Ambassador to Liberia. When he presented his credentials on April 5, 2011, he became the first Resident Ambassador from South Africa. He was also the South African ambassador to the Comoros from 2004 to 2010.
During apartheid, Mabeta was a member of the African National Congress. He left South Africa to go into exile in 1980, and in 1985 he graduated from Harvard University with a thesis titled Conflict Resolution in Zimbabwe: The Role of the United States of America. He later joined the United Democratic Movement, which he represented in the National Assembly before he joined the diplomatic service.