Johannesburg - President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the late Zulu Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi will be honoured with a Special Official Funeral, Category 1, at Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Buthelezi family was due to have the funeral on Friday, but due to the announcement by Ramaphosa, they have moved the occasion to Saturday.
IFP leader Mkhuleko Hlengwa said that the memorial service will be held on Wednesday at the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Regional Stadium in Ulundi, starting at 9am. The stadium has a capacity of 10 000.
“All South Africans are welcome to come. It is an open service, and we are grateful to the family for acceding to our request to have that memorial,” said Hlengwa.
Tributes continued to pour in, with various political leaders pouring in to kwaPhindangene royal residence to offer their condolences to the friends and family of a man whose political career spanned many decades.
DA leader John Steenhuisen described Buthelezi as a very dedicated man who, despite his old age, kept a very active schedule.
“He kept on moving, he kept on working, he kept on driving forward, and that drive, that push to improve the lives of others stood him in great stead, and he leaves behind an enormous legacy,” he said.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said during his address at his party’s policy conference that they offered their deepest condolences to his family, to the Buthelezi clan, to King Misuzulu and the royal family, to the IFP, and to the entire Zulu nation.
“Ndabezitha dedicated his life to leadership, and the impact of his immense contribution can be seen and felt. ActionSA joins the chorus of voices across South Africa that give thanks for an exceptional life in service to the South African people,” said Mashaba.
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu said that whatever Buthelezi stood for will outlive him, and he has left an institutional legacy in his party.
Shivambu described how the IFP is still a big political player in politics at large, and more specifically in KwaZulu-Natal, and he attributes that mostly to Buthelezi.
“It shows that what Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi stood for was institutionalised ideas that can be sustained over time and over generations,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a communiqué seen by the media, the IFP-led Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality informed municipal workers that in honour of the late Buthelezi, on Thursday there will be a day of mourning.
The workers were asked to dress in black, and female employees were requested to wear a doek.
The Star