Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a very important person in South African politics and a Zulu leader who spoke his mind, has passed away at the age of 95.
During the time when racial discrimination was practiced in South Africa, he started the Zulu Inkatha party because he was no longer satisfied with the African National Congress (ANC).
Many people died in fights between people who supported two different groups in the early 1990s.
But he later returned and became President Nelson Mandela‘s minister of home affairs.
Chief Buthelezi was a clever but controversial politician. He did not agree with the ANC’s ways of using weapons to fight against the rule of the white minority. Instead, he followed a more middle-of-the-road approach as the leader of a Zulu homeland.
He disagreed with global punishments on South Africa, saying that they would only hurt the black majority of the country.
Obituary: The man who caused division in South Africa.
In the fights that happened in the early 1990s, Nelson Mandela’s ANC said he was working together with the government of mostly white people.
Some people were worried that the violence could cause a civil war and disrupt the process of transitioning to a democracy, which resulted in Mandela becoming president in 1994.
A lot of people thought that the apartheid security forces were working together with the Inkatha movement to fight against the ANC. However, Buthelezi always said that this wasn’t true.
President Cyril Ramaphosa paid his respects and praised Chief Buthelezi as a strong and influential leader.
He said he had been very important in our country’s history for 70 years.
The president said that Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been a great leader in our country’s politics and culture. He has played a significant role in our fight for freedom, the transition in 1994, and our democracy.
He said Chief Buthelezi passed away early on Saturday, two weeks after turning 95.
Chief Buthelezi was the leader of the Zulus, who are the biggest group of people in South Africa.
He was born into a royal family called the Zulu. His mother was Princess Magogo, who was the sister of the Zulu king. Chief Buthelezi acted as his own great-grandfather, who was a Zulu King named Cetshwayo, in the movie Zulu which was made in 1964.
He led a group in KwaZulu and started a political party called the Inkatha Freedom Party which was all about the Zulu people. He quit his position as the leader of the party in 2019 after being in charge for 44 years.