President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa announced on Saturday that Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Prince of KwaPhindangene, Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation, and the Founder and President Emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party, has died. He was 95.
Buthelezi died in the early hours of Saturday, just two weeks after celebrating his birthday. He had been in ill health for some time.
Ramaphosa said in a statement that Buthelezi was “an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation” and that he had “played a significant role in our country’s history for seven decades.”
Buthelezi was born in 1928 into a royal Zulu family. He was educated at Fort Hare University and the University of Natal. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, but he resigned in 1975 to form the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
The IFP was a rival to the ANC during the apartheid era. Buthelezi was accused of collaborating with the apartheid government, but he denied these accusations.
After the end of apartheid in 1994, Buthelezi served as the Minister of Home Affairs in the first democratic government. He retired from politics in 2004.
Buthelezi was a controversial figure, but he was also a respected leader. He was awarded the Order of the Baobab in 2004 for his contribution to South Africa.
Ramaphosa said that Buthelezi’s death was a “great loss” to South Africa. He said that the government and the nation would “reflect more extensively on his extraordinary life and diverse contributions to the development of our nation” in due course.
The Buthelezi family has not yet announced funeral arrangements.
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