Memorial service hosted by the IFP in KZN in honour of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, founder and president emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party, traditional prime minister of the Zulu monarch and nation inkosi of the Buthelezi clan

5 November 2023

His Royal Highness Prince Ntuthukoyezwe Zuzifa Buthelezi, son to His Excellency Prince Buthelezi and Chairperson of the Buthelezi Family Trust;

The Hon. Princess Phumzile Audrey Thandekile Nokuphiwa Buthelezi MPL, the eldest child of His Excellency and the National Chairperson of the IFP Women’s Brigade;

The Hon. Princess Sibuyiselwe Angela Buthelezi MP, the youngest daughter of His Excellency, who served with him in the National Parliament of South Africa;

Members of the Buthelezi Family, the Mzila Family, the Zulu Royal Family, and the Buthelezi Clan;

The national leadership of the Inkatha Freedom Party;

The IFP’s leadership in KwaZulu-Natal, led by our Provincial Chairperson, Councillor AT Ntuli;

Our Members of Parliament and Members of the Provincial Legislature of KwaZulu-Natal;

The leadership and members of all our structures, including the IFP Youth Brigade and the Women’s Brigade;

Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Speakers and Councillors;

Amakhosi and Izinduna;

Representatives from the faith community, from the business community, from the NGO sector, from education, conservation, and every field in which uMntwana waKwaPhindangene made such an impact;

Fellow citizens; friends.

Wherever we walk throughout the length and breadth of this Kingdom, the life’s work of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is evident. It is seen in the thriving fields that paint the Valley of a Thousand Hills. It is seen in the factories and industrial hubs that provide work to our people and pump lifeblood into our economy. It is seen in the infrastructure; in bustling ports and harbours, in hospitals and universities. It is seen in the thousands of schools where our children are educated. In the soccer fields and sewing circles, in the shopping malls, banks and hotels, in the community centres and municipal buildings.

The evidence of Prince Buthelezi’s legacy is seen in the herds of rhino and elephants that are still there for this generation to experience. It is seen in millions of houses, where families are raised in the security of communal life. It is seen in the respectful way we treat one another, across cultures and races, because of the bridges that uMntwana built. It is seen in our social welfare network, in our tourism industry, and in the swelling breast of every proud Zulu.

His legacy is seen when our maidens gather to present their reeds to the King. And when AmaKhosi gather to commemorate the Anglo-Zulu War and to honour King Shaka kaSenzangakhona. Whenever the people of Ingwavuma call themselves South African, Shenge’s star burns bright. And whenever any one of millions of South Africans expresses their gratitude for his principles, his integrity and his leadership, the life’s work of Prince Buthelezi is honoured again.

Since his passing on the 9th of September, South Africa has had many opportunities to mourn collectively. The national memorial service held by the IFP was followed by an official Category One funeral, which saw the leadership of our country descend on Ulundi to pay tribute and mourn for Prince Buthelezi. Every living president from our democratic era was present. The respect that President Mandela always showed to Shenge was echoed by the presence of former President Mbeki, former President Motlanthe, former President Zuma, and His Excellency President Ramaphosa – who paid tribute one of South Africa’s greatest statesmen.

Political leaders from across the spectrum were present, as were dignitaries and leaders from across Africa, and around the world. Before the funeral, and for almost two months since, delegations have been arriving at KwaPhindangene to mourn with the family. Letters continue to pour in and tributes are still being paid in the conferences and periodicals of various organisations, throughout the world.

The Mangosuthu University of Technology hosted its own memorial service, in honour of its founder. And the IFP in Gauteng held a memorial service too, in recognition of the massive impact that Shenge had on the political history of that Province and the democratic structure of our country. Next week, the IFP’s Parliamentary Caucus, which I now lead, will be hosting a memorial service in Cape Town in honour of His Excellency’s work in Parliament over the course of almost thirty years, as well as his service to South Africa as our first democratic Minister of Home Affairs and Acting President of the Republic.

In the midst of all these events to honour Prince Buthelezi, this one, today, is unique.

The people of KwaZulu-Natal have a special bond with Prince Buthelezi. It is to us that he gave his greatest gift and for us that he made his greatest sacrifices. It is here that he poured out his strength, building a future for us to inherit. It is here that his presence is deeply felt, even now, and here that he will be remembered in daily conversations. For generations to come, Shenge’s name will be spoken with reverence and gratitude. People will point to the greatest assets of KwaZulu-Natal, and thank Prince Buthelezi.

It is important therefore that we in KwaZulu-Natal have this opportunity to gather in a provincial memorial service, to remember the man who belonged to all of South Africa – but first and foremost, to us.

He was a son of this soil, born into the Zulu Royal Family to the full sister of King Solomon kaDinuzulu and to the traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation. He was raised at KwaDlamahlahla Palace, and was mentored by Bishop Alphaeus Zulu, the first black Anglican Bishop of Zululand; by Inkosi Albert Luthuli, who maintained the founding principles of Africa’s oldest liberation movement; and by the founder of the ANC himself, his uncle, Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme.

He was appointed by King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon to serve as the traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation in 1954, and he served in that position under three successive Kings, for almost seven decades. He protected the land of the Zulu Kingdom, placing it in a Trust to remain under the Trusteeship of the Zulu King when communal land across South Africa passed into the hands of the State. Indeed, in creating the Ingonyama Trust, Prince Buthelezi gave meaning to every life that had been lost and every drop of blood that was spilled by our ancestors in the quest to protect our land.

He was able to do this for us, because he accepted the unpalatable mission of working within an illegitimate, oppressive government, in order to undermine it from within. His mission was a resounding success. But it brought him a lifetime of humiliation, pain and injustice. He accepted that too, knowing it was unfair. For he believed in the pre-eminence of service. He placed the necessity of serving his country above his own right to be treated fairly. He surrendered his own reputation to secure South Africa’s freedom.

As a faithful follower of Christ, Prince Buthelezi knew the spiritual law of laying down one’s life in order to gain life. And that is what he did for our country.

As South Africans, we have an endless list of reasons to thank him. But as the IFP, our greatest reason to honour Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is the legacy he built through the IFP. On the 21st of March 1975, Prince Buthelezi gathered a group of patriots at KwaNzimela, and changed the course of history.

Inkatha yeNkululeko yeSizwe was birthed at just the right time. The ANC, PAC and other political organisations were banned, and there was little mobilisation happening on the ground within South Africa. The momentum towards liberation had stalled and our people were somehow adrift, lacking a centre from which to mobilise activism, unity and cohesive resistance.

By that time, Prince Buthelezi was leading the KwaZulu Legislative Assembly, having heeded the request of Mr Oliver Tambo and Inkosi Albert Luthuli. The liberation movement was working through a multi-strategy approach, and the role given to Prince Buthelezi was to undermine the system from within. He was a thorn a flesh of the apartheid government, continually calling out the atrocities of the apartheid system and demanding equality, justice and freedom for all.

He was, in fact, so obstructive and vocal against the apartheid regime that Tambo worried he was rocking the boat too much. Tambo actually warned Shenge with those words when they met in Mangochi on Lake Malawi in 1971. Tambo feared that Shenge was too visible and too outspoken against the regime, and said that the ANC could not afford for the regime to act against Shenge. Tambo even suggested that Shenge should attack the ANC from time to time to appease the apartheid regime, which of course Shenge refused to do.

Shenge was not only visiting Tambo in exile. He remained in close contact with many liberation leaders. Moreover, throughout the seventies, he visited many Heads of State in Africa to thank them for giving sanctuary to all South Africa’s exiles. They knew his liberation credentials and he was warmly welcomed by Lesotho’s Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan, Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie, Swaziland’s King Sobhuza II, Lesotho’s King Moshoeshoe II, Zambia’s President Kenneth Kaunda and Tanzania’s President Julius Nyerere. President Tolbert of Liberia conferred on him the Knight Commander of the Star of Africa.

Beyond Africa, he was warmly received by Heads of State in Europe, North America and the Middle East. The UK’s Prime Minister Thatcher travelled all the way to Ulundi specifically to visit him, after their meeting in London. President Giscard d’Estaing of France conferred on him the National Order of Merit. He had a private audience at the Vatican with three Popes.

He received the George Meany Human Rights Award from the Council of Industrial Organisation of the American Federation of Labour, and the Bruno H. Schubert Award for Conservation, in Germany. He received Honorary Doctorates from Tampa University in the United States, from the University of Boston, Massachussets, and the City University of Los Angeles.

Among all these visits, one stands out in particular.

It was during a visit to President Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia, in 1974, that the idea of Inkatha was first raised. President Kaunda had been nominated by the leaders of the Frontline States, in discussion with the ANC’s mission-in-exile, to speak to Prince Buthelezi about forming a membership-based organisation within South Africa. The purpose of this organisation would be to reignite political mobilisation on South African soil.

With this advice, Prince Buthelezi returned to Ulundi and sought Bishop Alphaeus Zulu’s opinion. Bishop Zulu pointed out that if such organisation was overtly political, it would immediately be banned. He therefore suggested that it be couched as a cultural organisation, and suggested the name Inkatha yeNkululeko yeSizwe.

Thus, Inkatha was born. It was termed a national cultural liberation organisation, but it adopted the colours of the banned ANC and followed the same mission; because Inkatha was, in effect, just a front for the ANC within South Africa. We were picking up the baton and continuing the race that the ANC could no longer run upon our own soil.

For the next 48 years, this organisation founded by Prince Buthelezi would serve South Africa faithfully, acting on principle and never wavering in its commitment to the core values of democracy, equality, justice and freedom. Inkatha would become the home of millions of revolutionaries of goodwill, who caught the vision of a remarkable leader and followed him with absolute confidence.

Never once did he break our trust or let us down. Never once did he disappoint us or cause us to doubt his integrity. He was consistently a man of uncompromising principles and incorruptible ethics.

We followed Prince Buthelezi because he was honest. Because he put the people first. Because he lived by sound principles and led by example. We followed him because he believed in service, duty and responsibility. Above all, we followed him because we could see his love of country and we shared that love with all our hearts. Here was a rational, intelligent, focussed, education, courageous, committed patriot. And he had a vision of how to free South Africa. Not merely from the shackles of political oppression, but from those of poverty, ignorance, injustice and lack of opportunity.

What Prince Buthelezi achieved through Inkatha during our struggle, and through the IFP during democracy, is testimony to his unfailing ability to empower people. He always believed that people could free themselves and create their own destiny, and that they should be given the tools to do so. One tool he believed in was education, and he poured his energy into developing education in KwaZulu-Natal. Another tool was unity, and he became a bridge-builder like no other.

He created opportunities for our people through Ithala Bank, through MUT, through cooperatives and investment. With every teacher training college he opened, he empowered us. When he instructed Premier LPHM Mtshali to roll out free anti-retrovirals to clinics across KwaZulu-Natal, he saved our lives. When he taught us to return to subsistence farming, instead of relying on government grants, he kept us from starving. And when he warned that our country’s growing debt to GDP ratio would cripple our economy if we did not reverse the trend, he tried to protect us from the financial crisis that is now our country’s reality.

We thank God for Shenge’s influence in our national politics, and for all that he did for KwaZulu-Natal. We will never forget his intervention when social unrest threatened to destroy our Province in July 2021; or his voice of reason when racial tensions began to flare. We will never forget his actions to open our economy and get people working.

And we will always honour him for opposing international sanctions and disinvestment from our country, and for refusing to adopt an armed struggle. We weep for the price he paid for our sake, knowing that he did not deserve the vilification he endured for standing on the side of stability and peace.

As the IFP, we will always celebrate Shenge. He is our greatest treasure. His legacy will continue through the work we do, the decisions we take and the way we lead. The Party he created will continue in strength and will accomplish what he set out to achieve for all the people of South Africa. That is our commitment to Shenge and our promise to you.

Let me assure you: His Excellency left the IFP in safe and capable hands of men and women whom he nurtured and mentored over a period of time. We are a party at work.

The IFP has a bright future and it is the future. The people of South Africa can and must safely invest for a secured future in the IFP.

The people of KwaZulu-Natal have lost a father. But we will never be without him. His legacy will echo in every future success; and in every set-back we will be encouraged by his memory. We will keep going for the same reason that Shenge did. For love of country and for the sake of our people, we will never surrender the fight.

We salute you Shenge. Go well.

Tribute by Velenkosini Hlabisa, President of the IFP, 5 November 2023