Publications
Partners
Those who love him will do so until their last drop of blood and those who hate him do so with devastating malice.
To many he is known and seen as an unashamedly Zulu traditionalist; others see him as an astute politician whose capabilities are boundless.
And there are those who believe he sold out in the struggle and should not be regarded as a freedom fighter but a sellout.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a member of the ANC Youth League before the formation of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
He often openly says the formation of the IFP was due to the blessings of the late ANC president Oliver Tambo. This has not been disputed by anyone in the ANC.
Buthelezi’s politics is very complex. Political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi wrote in Business Day on May 22 2009: “Despite the acrimony between the ANC and Buthelezi, Nelson Mandela maintained a warm relation[ship] with Shenge [Buthelezi] from his Robben Island jail cell.
“Add to this confusing picture of the man the fact that he consistently called for Mandela to be released from jail and you begin to realise just how complex a political figure Shenge is.”
The deadly war between the IFP and ANC tilted the scales against Buthelezi and the IFP – the argument was often centred on whether he should be regarded as a freedom fighter or a sell-out.
Many said he was a sellout and traditionalist whose politics was so primitive it relied on Zulu nationalism, based on tribalism.
They said he was obsessed by the secessionism of the Zulu kingdom.
But he has said often that he advocates non-violence and was against the sanctions which would have impoverished the already poor black majority.
The ANC had campaigned for the apartheid state to be isolated economically through sanctions.
However, in the democratic era the ANC government was against the sanctions imposed by the US and the UK in Zimbabwe.
Many ANC supporters propagated an anti-Shenge tirade and labelled him an apartheid apologist, a sell-out and murderer who should serve jail time for the many people who died in the people’s war between the ANC and IFP.
Shenge’s political longevity from apartheid to the democratic dispensation has never decreased his image as a politician – let alone the fading fortunes of his party.
In the post-apartheid era Buthelezi has emerged as a leader whose politics evoke patriotism and he provided opposition that was patriotic.
His politics has always been forthright. He is known as the man who speaks the truth, a man of letters, a writer, an elder and international statesman. Very knowledgeable about the governance and administrative issues of state, he knows when to pounce.
At times when the ruling party shied away from its responsibility, Buthelezi would not shy away, voicing his disgust and rebuking those engaged in misdeeds.
He would always remind the ANC of its 1994 pre-election promises. In 2007 former president Thabo Mbeki thanked the IFP leader for his patriotic engagements that brought sanity in Parliament without looking for easy victories.
Although his struggle credentials are always questioned, in the post-apartheid era he has remained a man of truth, he has spoken about corruption, and the degenerating societal fabric through acts of rape and poverty.
He has often warned the ANC that unless it fights poverty, the country will run the risk of the masses being beggars who will remain indebted to the government without learning to fend for themselves.
He has urged the government to ponder over the social grants and high level of unemployment that lends itself to the current state of dependency, which could lead to a revolution by the masses against the state.
It is politically intriguing that as much as Shenge has people who dislike him and even wish that he should shed his mortal coil (as the cantankerous editor of this paper wishes), many like him and admire his truth and politics but cannot come out in the open because of fear of victimisation and rejection by the ANC and the public because of the stigma of black-on-black violence.
Why am I writing this you may ask? Am I singing the praises of the man?
The answer is no! I am writing this because in isiZulu we say: Umuntu ubongwa esaphila (loosely translated to we must acknowledge people while they are still alive).
Buthelezi is a formidable political figure whose politics are steeped in traditional perspective and political acumen.
Therefore, he cannot be ignored. Matshiqi concluded that the South African history pre- and post-democracy cannot be complete without Buthelezi.
As he celebrates his 90th birthday tomorrow, it’s time for those who love him to raise a glass and say an Ode to the people’s prince.
As it is often said: sing my praises while I am still alive so that I can hear them because when I am dead, I will not care anyway.
Long Live.
Khanyile is a former IFP branch secretary in Johannesburg.
