By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi – the Prime Minister of the Zulu nation, and founder and emeritus president of Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) – died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
King Misuzulu delivered a short speech at the annual reed dance ceremony held at the Enyokeni royal palace in Nongoma on Saturday afternoon.
Zulu king used his speech at the Zulu Reed Dance ceremony to express his condolences to the Buthelezi family. He said Buthelezi had played a huge role during his ascension to the throne and those of his two predecessors.
“He was a pillar of strength to the Zulu nation, to all of us. He always stood for the truth. He and myself were working together till the very end,” said the Zulu king.
“What happened to us today is unusual, I am crying with you and my people. The Prince has done a lot, not to mention what he has done for the royal family. He also stood for the truth till the end.”
The monarch who was teary-eyed spoke solemnly as he paid a short tribute to his grandfather and prime minister to the Zulus.
Buthelezi served as prime minister to the two kings before King Misuzulu’s ascension to the throne last year.
He was at the forefront of fighting for Misuzulu’s instalment as the new Zulu king.
The king did not mention the recent squabbles he had with Buthelezi regarding the composition of the Ingonyama Trust Board, which Buthelezi was not happy with but which King Misuzulu endorsed and supported.
This led to Buthelezi refusing to sign affidavits in support of King Misuzulu in court papers. The king is under siege as the process to his crowning as the Zulu king is challenged by his siblings and other members of the Zulu Royal Household.
KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who arrived at the Buthelezi homestead to express her condolences, said Buthelezi was an icon of the province, the country and the world.
Dube-Ncube said Buthelezi was a humble and visionary traditional leader who accepted defeat through the ballot. She said Buthelezi had been supportive and always respectful towards her.
She said the provincial government is working with the Buthelezi family and other stakeholders to ensure that his funeral befits the standard expected in such high-profile deaths.
Buthelezi’s death on the morning of the Zulu Reed Dance – attended by thousands of Zulu maidens carrying reeds to the king to symbolise purity – resulted in the two-day event being reduced to one day.