Picture: The founder and leader of Inkata Freedom Party, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi/Twitter
By OBAKENG MAJE
The African National Congress (ANC) Said it is saddened by the passing of Inkata Freedom Party (IFP) leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The ANC national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri Buthelezi served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch since 1968 and in democratic South Africa, he served as the minister of Home Affairs in the Government of National Unity and a Member of Parliament (MP) up until the time of his passing.
“He joined the ANCYL as a student at the University of Fort Hare, working alongside the late Oliver Tambo, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe, and other revered stalwarts of our liberation movement.
“Buthelezi became an inextricable part of South Africa’s body politic. It is well documented that, on the advice of the leadership of the liberation movement, he returned home to assume his chieftaincy role and later became Chief Minister of the KwaZulu Government (Bantustan administration), as it was agreed that, this would be in the best interests of the liberation struggle,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
She further said, history attests to Buthelezi’s progressively strained relationship with the ANC, exacerbated by the hostile political climate of the apartheid era. Bhengu-Motsiri added that, with the ANC leadership’s blessing, Buthelezi founded Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe with the view that, it would be a unit of the ANC rooted inside the country.
“At the same time, the people’s movement was banned and its leaders were in exile or some languishing in Robben Island apartheid jail. Buthelezi, who keenly reported to the ANC in Lusaka and London about developments in the country, founded the Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe Party, which later morphed into what is known today as the IFPa.
“It is equally documented that in the 1980s and right into the late 90s, differences and conflicts sponsored by a third force (Apartheid regime) created a rapture resulting in horrific bloodshed in KwaZulu-Natal and in Gauteng (Transvaal as it was known then),” she said.
Bhengu-Motsiri said the rapture manifested itself in the form of the Boipatong Massacre in 1992, the Pietermaritzburg Seven-Day War (1990), the Shobashobane Massacres in 1995, and many others. She said Buthelezi had a long-cherished vision of the ANC and IFP finding lasting peace in post-apartheid South Africa and being reunited with the prized membership of the ANC, his historical political home.
“At the time of his passing, the ANC was engaged in internal discussions on how to respond to his public plea. The ANC acknowledges that Buthelezi had a multifaceted relationship with the ANC and the nation, and his legacy will be subjected to intense debate.
“However, the ANC recognises his contribution to the liberation struggle and the post-apartheid political environment. We send our sincere condolences to the family and the Zulu Royal Household in the Zulu Kingdom on the passing of Buthelezi,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
Meanwhile, MP Princess Sibuyiselwe Angela Buthelezi said: “Buthelezi was South Africa’s truest champion and greatest servant, our father, uMntwana wa KwaPhindangene. In this devastating moment, we thank God Almighty for his faithfulness and grace, knowing with certainty that uMntwana has been embraced by His Lord.
“He quietly and painlessly stepped into eternity in the early hours of this morning. We realise that, this loss will be deeply felt by many and that many will wish to express their condolences and pay their respects in the days ahead.”
Buthelezi said the family will engage His Majesty the King and the Royal Family, His Excellency the President, the Buthelezi clan, and the leadership of the IFP as the necessary funeral arrangements are made.
The Guardian 