Mangosuthu Buthelezi: South African Zulu leader dies aged 95

Mangosuthu Buthelezi was accused of playing into the hands of white power. Photo: AP

Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Zulu nationalist leader who led South Africa's deadliest violence on the eve of the first multiracial elections in 1994, died on Saturday aged 95.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “I deeply «Saddened to announce the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi…Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Monarch and the Nation, and Founder and Honorary President of the Inkatha Freedom Party.»

“Prince Buthelezi, who served as the first Minister of Home Affairs of democratic South Africa, died early this morning, just two weeks after celebrating his 95th birthday,” the head of state said. < /p>

Buthelezi, born on August 27, 1928 in the Royal blood, personified the proud warrior spirit of the country's largest ethnic group — the Zulus.

Buthelezi was the hereditary leader of the Zulus, a South African people. largest ethnic group.

He was also Prime Minister of KwaZulu, the homeland of the Zulus, and founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

Originally a member of the historic ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), he founded the IFP in 1975, originally formed as a Zulu cultural organization.

The rivalry between the ANC and the IFP arose later. turned out to be fatal.

Mr Ramaphosa added: “Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our country, including the ebb and flow of our liberation struggle, the transition period that secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation.”

The IFP, which Buthelezi led for more than 40 years, fought deadly turf wars with the ANC in black-majority townships in the 1980s and 1990s.

The violence left more than 5,000 people dead.

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Buthelezi was accused of playing into the hands of white power by inciting violence against the ANC shortly before the first multiracial elections in 1994.

Mangosuthu Buthelezi often wore traditional Zulu clothing when leading Inkatha parades. Photo: AFP

Thin, slender, with rectangular glasses perched on his nose, Buthelezi often donned leopard skins (a Zulu tradition) to lead Inkatha parades in his fortresses in Johannesburg and Durban.

Buthelezi was also active mediated succession disputes following the death of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in 2021.

He aged with his fearless demeanor until his final days, fiercely defending the Zulu monarchy.

But soon after After the coronation of the new king, reports began to emerge of a rift with Buthelezi, indicating waning influence at court.

Weakened and barely able to walk, the once feared leader stood hunched and small, a shadow of his former self. , peering into the crowd over the glasses perched on his nose as he attended the annual Zulu reed dance in September 2022.