The prime minister of the Zulu royal house and South African deputy Mangosuthu Buthelezi died today at the age of 95, after a life marked by his controversial role during the segregationist apartheid regime and the country’s democratic transition, reported the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ups and downs of our liberation struggle, the transition that enabled our freedom in 1994 and our democratic administration,” Ramaphosa said through the social network X (formerly Twitter).
According to a statement released by the family and reported by local media, the politician, who underwent a medical procedure for back pain in early July and had to remain in the hospital after a complication, died “peacefully and without pain.” “.
Born in 1928 in what is now the province of KwaZulu-Natal (east), Buthelezi founded the Zulu nationalist formation Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and was part of Nelson Mandela’s first national unity government, which emerged in 1994, after the country’s first democratic elections.
The politician was Minister of the Interior together with Mandela, a post he held thereafter in the administration of his successor, Thabo Mbeki, and until 2004, despite constant tensions between the IFP and the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
His figure continues to be controversial due to his role during apartheid, when, despite opposing that system, he held the leadership of the KwaZulu bantustan – the name given to the tribal reserves created for the black population during the white minority regime -, he It earned accusations of collaborationism.
Although the IFP, created in 1975, was initially aligned with the CNA, tensions and violent clashes between followers of both formations grew during the following years, leaving thousands dead.
The IFP abandoned the negotiations prior to the arrival of multiracial democracy and initially rejected the 1994 vote, after proposals such as the autonomy of the Zulu region were rejected and arguing that the demands of that community were being ignored, but, in At the last moment, Buthelezi agreed to participate in the elections.
After more than four decades as leader of the IFP, the politician retired in 2019, although he continued as president emeritus of the party.
During his career, Buthelezi also maintained a very active role in the politics of the Zulu community, and recently supported the coronation in August last year of King Misuzulu Zulu, after a family dispute that he sought to stop by alleging the possible falsification of his will. father, monarch Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in March 2021.
However, the estrangement between Misuzulu Zulu and its prime minister had become evident due to several disagreements in the last year.
The democratic Constitution of 1996 recognizes the role of traditional leaders in South Africa and, although it gives them a ceremonial and non-executive role, institutions such as the Zulu royal family maintain an influential social and political position.
The Zulus, who number between ten and twelve million people, make up the most populous ethnic group in South Africa, whose population is close to 60 million inhabitants.