Mangosuthu Buthelezi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP
Buthelezi in 2019
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 10 May 1994 – 13 July 2004
President	Nelson Mandela Thabo Mbeki
Preceded by	Danie Schutte
Succeeded by	Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
In office 29 April 1994 – 8 September 2023
Constituency	KwaZulu Natal
President of the Inkatha Freedom Party
In office 21 March 1975 – 25 August 2019
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Velenkosini Hlabisa
Bantustan offices 1970‍–‍1977 Chief Minister of KwaZulu In office 1 February 1977 – 26 April 1994 Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Position abolished Chief Executive Councillor of KwaZulu In office April 1972 – 31 January 1977 Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Position abolished Chief Executive Officer of the Zululand Territorial Authority In office 9 June 1970 – 1 April 1972 Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Position abolished
Tribal offices 1953‍–‍2023 Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Royal Family In office 1954–2023 Monarch Cyprian Bhekuzulu Goodwill Zwelithini Misuzulu Zulu Preceded by Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi Inkosi of the Buthelezi Clan in Mahlabathini In office 1953–2023 Preceded by Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi
Personal details
Born	Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (1928-08-27)27 August 1928 Mahlabathini, Natal, Union of South Africa
Died	9 September 2023(2023-09-09) (aged 95) South Africa
Political party	IFP
Spouse	Irene Audrey Thandekile Mzila ​ ​ (m. 1952; died 2019)​
Children	8, including Sibuyiselwe Angela
Residences	Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Occupation	Activist traditional leader politician
Known for	Founder of the IFP (1975)
House	Zulu
Religion	Anglican

Buthelezi in 1983

Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (27 August 1928 – 9 September 2023) was a South African politician and Zulu prince who was a Member of Parliament and who served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family since 1954 until his death in September 2023. He was appointed to this prime minister post by King Misuzulu's grand-father King Bhekuzulu, his biological cousin. He was Chief Minister of the KwaZulu bantustan during apartheid and founded the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in 1975, leading it until August 2019 and became its President Emeritus soon after that. He also served as Minister of Home Affairs from 1994 to 2004.

Buthelezi was one of the most prominent black politicians of the apartheid era. He was the sole political leader of the KwaZulu government, entering when it was still the native reserve of Zululand in 1970 and remaining in office until it was abolished in 1994. Critics described his administration as a de facto one-party state, intolerant of political opposition and dominated by Inkatha (now the IFP), Buthelezi's political movement. In parallel to his mainstream political career, Buthelezi held the Inkosi of the Buthelezi clan and was traditional prime minister to three successive Zulu kings, beginning with King Cyprian Bhekuzulu in 1954. He was himself born into the Zulu royal family; his maternal great-grandfather was King Cetshwayo kaMpande, whom he played in the 1964 film Zulu. While leader of KwaZulu, Buthelezi both strengthened and appropriated the public profile of the monarchy, reviving it as a symbol of Zulu nationalism. Bolstered by royal support, state resources, and Buthelezi's personal popularity, Inkatha became one of the largest political organisations in the country.

During the same period, Buthelezi publicly opposed apartheid and often took a patently obstructive stance toward the apartheid government. He lobbied consistently for the release of Nelson Mandela and staunchly refused to accept the nominal independence which the government offered to KwaZulu, correctly judging that it was a superficial independence. However, Buthelezi was derided in some quarters for participating in the bantustan system, a central pillar of apartheid, and for his moderate stance on such issues as free markets, armed struggle, and international sanctions. He became a bête noire of young activists in the Black Consciousness movement and was repudiated by many in the African National Congress (ANC). A former ANC Youth League member, Buthelezi had aligned himself and Inkatha with the ANC in the 1970s, but in the 1980s their relationship became increasingly acrimonious. It emerged in the 1990s that Buthelezi had accepted money and military assistance from the apartheid regime for Inkatha.

Buthelezi also played a complicated role during the negotiations to end apartheid, for which he helped set the framework as early as 1974 with the Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith. During the Congress for a Democratic South Africa, the IFP under Buthelezi lobbied for a federal system in South Africa with strong guarantees for regional autonomy and the status of Zulu traditional leaders. This proposal did not take hold and Buthelezi became aggrieved by what he perceived as the growing marginalisation both of the IFP and of himself personally, as negotiations were increasingly dominated by the ANC and the white National Party government. He established the Concerned South Africans Group with other conservatives, withdrew from the negotiations, and launched a boycott of the 1994 general election, South Africa's first under universal suffrage. However, despite fears that Buthelezi would upend the peaceful transition entirely, Buthelezi and the IFP not only participated in the election but also joined the Government of National Unity formed afterwards by newly elected President Mandela. Buthelezi served as Minister of Home Affairs under Mandela and under his successor, Thabo Mbeki, despite near-continuous tensions between the IFP and the governing ANC.

In subsequent years, the IFP struggled to expand its popular base beyond the new province of KwaZulu-Natal, which had absorbed KwaZulu in 1994. As the party's electoral fortunes declined, Buthelezi survived attempts by rivals within the party to unseat him. He remained the IFP's president until the party's 35th National General Conference in August 2019, when he declined to seek re-election and was succeeded by Velenkosini Hlabisa. In the 2019 general election, he was elected to a sixth consecutive term as a Member of Parliament for the IFP.

Early life

Mangosuthu was born on 27 August 1928, in Mahlabathini, KwaZulu, to Chief Mathole Buthelezi and Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu, the sister of King Solomon kaDinuzulu, and daughter of King Dinuzulu. He was educated at Impumalanga Primary School, Mahashini, Nongoma from 1933 to 1943, then at Adams College, Amanzimtoti from 1944 to 1947.

Mangosuthu studied at the University of Fort Hare from 1948 to 1950, where he joined the African National Congress Youth League and came into contact with Robert Mugabe and Robert Sobukwe. He was expelled from the university after student boycotts. He later completed his degree at the University of Natal.

Chieftainship

Buthelezi inherited the chieftainship of the large Buthelezi tribe in 1953: a position he still holds today. In 1963 and 1964, he served as adviser on the film Zulu about the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Buthelezi also acted in the film, playing the role of his real-life great-grandfather, King Cetshwayo kaMpande.

In 1970, Buthelezi was appointed leader of the KwaZulu territorial authority and in 1976 became chief minister of the quasi-independent Bantustan of KwaZulu. The emerging Black Consciousness Movement of the 1970s branded him an Apartheid regime collaborator, because of his strong anti-Communist beliefs. However, he consistently declined homeland independence and political deals until Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the ban on the African National Congress was lifted.

Inkatha Freedom Party

In 1975, Buthelezi started Inkatha National Cultural Liberation Movement with the blessing of the African National Congress (ANC), but broke away from the ANC in 1979 and his relationship with the ANC sharply deteriorated. He was encouraged by Oliver Tambo, the President of the ANC mission-in-exile, to revive the cultural movement. In the mid-1970s, it was clear that many in the Black Consciousness Movement were at odds with Buthelezi's politics. For instance, during the funeral of Robert Sobukwe he was barred from attending the service since they argued that he was a notable collaborator of the National Party government. In 1979, Inkosi Buthelezi and the Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe, as it was then known, severed ties with the main ANC since the ANC favoured military strategies by employing the use of uMkhonto we Sizwe, "Spear of the Nation". The meeting that was held in London between the two organisations did not succeed in ironing out differences.

In 1982, Buthelezi opposed the National Party government's plan to cede the Ingwavuma region in northern Natal to the Government of Swaziland. The courts decided in his favour on the grounds that the government had not followed its own Black Constitution Act of 1972, which required consultation with the people of the region. He was also instrumental in setting up the teacher training and nursing colleges throughout the late-1970s and the early-1980s. He requested Harry Oppenheimer, his great friend and ally, to establish Mangosuthu Technikon in Umlazi, south of Durban. He maintained a friendship with journalist Jani Allen.

Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith

On 4 January 1974, Transvaal leader of the United Party, Harry Schwarz, met with Mangosuthu Buthelezi and signed the Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith. They agreed on a five-point plan for racial peace in South Africa. The declaration's purpose was to provide a blueprint for government of South Africa for racial peace in South Africa. It called for negotiations involving all peoples, to draw up constitutional proposals stressing opportunity for all with a Bill of Rights to safeguard these rights. It suggested that the federal concept was the appropriate framework for such changes to take place. It also first affirmed that political change must take place through non-violent means.

The declaration was the first of such agreements by acknowledged black and white leaders in South Africa that affirmed to these principles. The commitment to the peaceful pursuit of political change was declared at a time when neither the National Party nor African National Congress were looking for peaceful solutions or dialogue. The declaration was heralded by the English speaking press as a breakthrough in race relations in South Africa. The declaration was endorsed by several chief ministers of the black homelands, including Cedric Phatudi (Lebowa), Lucas Mangope (Bophuthatswana) and Hudson Ntsanwisi (Gazankulu). The declaration also received praise from liberal figures such as Alan Paton.

Paramilitary accusations

Buthelezi was said to have been working with General Magnus Malan in training the youth of Ulundi, and other parts of the erstwhile KwaZulu, in setting up a paramilitary unit ostensibly since he feared that a lot of property and life were lost during the conflicts of 1984 to 1994. He was even implicated in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report as a person who was responsible for the gross violations of human rights, but before the report was published he took them to court and before the court's ruling, Buthelezi and the Truth Commission, agreed to settle out of court.

Meeting with Mandela and the elections

Buthelezi at first refused to stand at the 1994 general election, but chose to enter at the very last minute; after a meeting held on 8 April, where Mandela and De Klerk tried to sway the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, from his dependence on Buthelezi by offering him a guarantee of special status of the Zulu monarchy after the election. The offer was not immediately successful, but Buthelezi seemed sympathetic to the idea. The foreign mediation team led by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former UK Foreign Secretary Peter Carrington were pivotal in reaching a compromise, and convinced the IFP leader to give up his boycott of the election. Buthelezi therefore signed an agreement with De Klerk and Mandela that guaranteed the ceremonial status of the Zulu king and was promised that foreign mediators would examine Inkatha's claims to more autonomy in the Zulu area. It was probably too late though, because Buthelezi was losing support fast, and as a consequence, his party only narrowly won the elections in KwaZulu-Natal. In May 1994, Buthelezi was appointed Minister of Home Affairs in the first post-apartheid government, a position he retained following the 1999 general election. He was appointed as acting president a number of times during this period.

Though his appointment in the Government of National Unity was a kind of catharsis, King Zwelithini openly lambasted Buthelezi and told many members of the ruling party that he was like Mandela because for 24 years of KwaZulu government, he could not operate freely. Buthelezi countered that by saying that Zwelithini should not interfere in political matters, rather the Zulu monarchy should be modelled along the same lines as the British royal family. Because of the IFP's late entry to the election, stickers printed with their candidates' names were added to the ballot papers.

Positions

• Chief Executive Officer of the Zulu Territorial Authority (9 June 1970 – 31 March 1972).
• Chief Executive Councillor of the KwaZulu Government (1 April 1972 – 31 January 1977).
• President of Inkatha Freedom Party (21 March 1975 – 25 August 2019).
• Chief Minister of the KwaZulu Government (1 February 1977 – 26 April 1994).
• Member of the National Assembly of South Africa (since 29 April 1994).
• South African Minister of Home Affairs (10 May 1994 – 13 July 2004).
• Chairman of South African Black Alliance, that consisted of the Labour Party led by Mr Sonny Leon, the Reform Party led by Mr Yellan Chinsamy, the Dikwakwetla Party of the Free State, and Inyandza led by Mr Enos Mabuza.
• Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Zululand.
• Member of University of KwaZulu-Natal Foundation and Alumni.
• Chairman of Traditional Leaders in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
• Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation

Awards

• King's Cross Award awarded by King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu 1989.
• Key to the City of Birmingham awarded by Alabama 1989.
• Freedom of Ngwelezana awarded by Ngwelezana 1988.
• Unity, Justice and Peace Award by Inkatha Youth Brigade 1988.
• Magna Award for Outstanding Leadership awarded by Hong Kong 1988.
• Honorary Freedom of the City of Pinetown awarded by City of Pinetown, Kwazulu-Natal 1986.
• Honorary LLD Boston University 1986.
• Nadaraja Award by Indian Academy of SA 1985.
• Man of the Year by Financial Mail 1985.
• Newsmaker of the Year by Pretoria Press Club 1985.
• Honorary LLD Tampa University Florida 1985.
• Apostle of Peace (Rastriya Pita) by Pandit Satyapal Sharma of India 1983.
• George Meany Human Rights Award by The Council of Industrial Organisation of the American Federation of Labour (AFL-CIO) 1982.
• French National Order of Merit 1981.
• Honorary LLD University of Cape Town 1978.
• Citation for Leadership by District of Columbia Council United States of America 1976.
• Honorary LLD by Unizul 1976.
• Knight Commander of the Star of Africa for Outstanding Leadership by President Tolbert Liberia 1975.
• Newsmaker of the Year by SA Society of Journalists 1973.
• Man of the Year by Institute of Management Consultants of SA 1973.

Personality and political style

Buthelezi's political trademark is his infamously lengthy speeches: as of 2022, he retained a Guinness World Record he had won in 1993 for the longest ever legislative speech. That year, his opening speech to the KwaZulu Legislative Assembly lasted from 12 to 29 March; the address ran to 427 pages and was delivered partly in English and partly in Zulu. The political cartoonist Zapiro, speaking from personal experience, described him as "the most litigious politician in South Africa"; he fought a long-running battle to discredit Mzala Nxumalo after he wrote a critical biography of Buthelezi, Chief With a Double Agenda, in 1988.

Personal life

Buthelezi married Irene Audrey Thandekile Mzila (1929–2019), whom he met at a wedding in January 1949 when she was a nursing student from Johannesburg. They married on 2 July 1952 and had three sons, five daughters, and several grandchildren. At the time of Irene's death on 25 March 2019, three of their children survived: Princess Phumzile Nokuphiwa (born 1953), Prince Ntuthukoyezwe Zuzifa (born 1955) and Princess Sibuyiselwe Angela (born 1969). Deceased were Mabhuku Sinikwakonke (1957–1966), Mandisi Sibukakonke (1958–2004), Lethuxolo Bengitheni (1959–2008), Nelisuzulu Benedict (1961–2004), and Phumaphesheya Gregory (1963–2012).

Buthelezi also known as "Mango" to the youth was a practicing member of the Anglican Church. He said that he was occasionally put under pressure to take on additional wives, in line with customary Zulu polygamy, but had followed Christian edicts in remaining monogamous. His traditional residence was at kwaPhindangene in Ulundi in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and he was a fan of classical and choral music. He contracted COVID-19 twice, in August 2020 and December 2021, and was hospitalised with hypertension in January 2022.

On 1 August 2023 Buthelezi was reportedly hospitalised due to back problems. He was subsequently released from hospital on 2 September, and died on 9 September, at the age of 95.

See also

In Spanish: Mangosutu Buthelezi para niños