Zuma commends Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi

The former president Jacob Zuma has lauded the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) founder and traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family, for trying to restore lasting peace between IFP and ANC supporters.

JACOB ZUMA’S REACTIONS

According to the Citizen publication, Zuma noted that he was still recovering from the shock of Mangosuthu’s death, noting that he had hoped that he was recovering following the reports that he was out of the hospital bed.

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“When I heard this sad news, I was in the Kingdom of eSwatini, invited by His Majesty the King. I was in the process of making arrangements to visit him after the Swaziland trip,” reported the source.

Zuma noted that Mangosuthu played a big role in trying to restore peace between the ANC supporters and the IFP in the violent clashes of the 1990s in Kwazulu-Natal.

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“Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi should be remembered as the man who played a remarkable role in supporting the Royal Monarch. He also served as Undunankulu of the Zulu nation until his last day. We will remember Prince Mangosuthu as a man who, for quite a while, wanted his membership in the ANC to be restored, as one of those who served as an ANC member for a long time,” he added.

Zuma went on to say that Mangosuthu played his role very well in uniting the Africans in a move that was intended for the Africans to work together after the end of apartheid. Despite all the difficulties and challenges facing us as leaders, we had reached a point of understanding each other and succeeded in addressing many complicated issues. We respected one another in whatever we dealt with. We had become friends in the cause of addressing complicated questions, he said.

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WHEN DID PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI DIE?

Mangosuthu died on Saturday at the age of 95. On Sunday afternoon, the Mangosuthu family revealed that the deceased IFP president would be laid to rest on Friday, September 15, after a family meeting. The province is also awaiting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directives on the type of burial to be accorded to the late.

There have been mixed reactions about the legacy of the late, with some critiquing him for causing violent clashes among political supporters in the early 1990s.