Founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Mangosuthu Buthelezi died on Saturday, 9 September 2023. He was 95.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi dies: What’s the cause of death?
News of the prominent Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) leader’s passing was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in a statement released on Saturday morning.
“Prince Buthelezi, who served as the democratic South Africa’s first minister of home affairs, passed away in the early hours of today, Saturday, 9 September 2023, just two weeks after the celebration of his 95th birthday,” Ramaphosa wrote.
While the exact cause of death was not revealed in the family’s statement, Buthelezi died weeks after he was discharged from hospital, following months of treatment for a complication that arose from a medical procedure for back pain management.
“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. The family will engage His Majesty the King and the Royal Family, His Excellency the President, the Buthelezi Clan and the leadership of the Inkatha Freedom Party as the necessary funeral arrangements are made. Further details in this regard will be announced in due course,” the family said.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi obituary
Born on August 27, 1928, at the Ceza Swedish Missionary Hospital in Mahlabathini, southeastern Natal, Buthelezi hailed from a distinguished Zulu lineage.
His mother, Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu, was the daughter of former Zulu King Dinuzulu and sister of the incumbent King Solomon kaDinuzulu.
In 1923, she became the principal wife of Mathole Buthelezi, the chief of the Buthelezi clan, in a marriage arranged to heal a rift between the clan and the royal family.
Buthelezi’s educational journey took him to Impumalanga Primary School at Mahashini and then to Adams College, a renowned mission school in Amanzimtoti.
He furthered his studies at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape during the early years of apartheid.
He joined the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC) Youth League in 1949, and his political influences included prominent figures like Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Albert Luthuli, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Buthelezi’s political career was marked by its complexity. He served as Chief Minister of the KwaZulu Bantustan during apartheid and founded the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in 1975.
While publicly opposing apartheid and advocating for the release of Nelson Mandela, he participated in the Bantustan system, a pillar of apartheid, which drew criticism.
His role during the negotiations to end apartheid was intricate.
He helped set the framework for these negotiations in 1974 with the Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith.
During the Congress for a Democratic South Africa, the IFP, under Buthelezi’s leadership, lobbied for a federal system in South Africa, emphasising regional autonomy and the status of Zulu traditional leaders.
This proposal faced challenges as the ANC and the white National Party government increasingly dominated negotiations.
Despite tensions and a brief boycott of the 1994 general election, Buthelezi and the IFP eventually participated in the Government of National Unity formed by President Nelson Mandela.
He served as Minister of Home Affairs under Mandela and his successor, Thabo Mbeki.
In later years, the IFP faced electoral challenges, and Buthelezi stepped down from the party’s presidency in 2019, succeeded by Velenkosini Hlabisa.
He continued to serve as a Member of Parliament.
He married Irene Audrey Thandekile Mzila (1929–2019), whom he met at a wedding in January 1949 when she was a nursing student from Johannesburg.
They married on 2 July 1952 and had three sons, five daughters, and several grandchildren.
At the time of Irene’s death on 25 March 2019, three of their children survived: Princess Phumzile Nokuphiwa (born 1953), Prince Ntuthukoyezwe Zuzifa (born 1955) and Princess Sibuyiselwe Angela (born 1969).
Deceased were Mabhuku Sinikwakonke (1957–1966), Mandisi Sibukakonke (1958–2004), Lethuxolo Bengitheni (1959–2008), Nelisuzulu Benedict (1961–2004), and Phumaphesheya Gregory (1963–2012).
Buthelezi, also known as “Mango” to the youth, was a practising member of the Anglican Church.
He said that he was occasionally pressured to take on additional wives, in line with customary Zulu polygamy, but had followed Christian edicts in remaining monogamous.
His traditional residence was at kwaPhindangene in Ulundi in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and he was a fan of classical and choral music.
He contracted COVID-19 twice, in August 2020 and December 2021, and was hospitalised with hypertension in January 2022.
On 1 August 2023, Buthelezi was reportedly hospitalised due to back problems. He was subsequently released from the hospital on 2 September 2023 and passed away on 9 September 2023.
Reactions to Buthelezi’s death
Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi’s life was characterised by a delicate balancing act between advocating for change within the system and opposition to apartheid policies.
His legacy remains a subject of debate and discussion, reflecting the complexities of South Africa’s political history.
Here are some of the reactions we picked from social media:
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