Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi during the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address at the National Assembly on February 19, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. Ramaphosa delivered his maiden SONA on Friday, just a day after being elected unopposed and sworn in after Jacob Zuma’s resignation. (Photo by Gallo Images / Jeffrey Abrahams)
“Give me back my ANC membership so I can die in peace” – IFP’s Buthelezi
The IFP’s Mangosuthu Buthelezi would like his history with the ANC sorted before he passes on.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi during the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address at the National Assembly on February 19, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. Ramaphosa delivered his maiden SONA on Friday, just a day after being elected unopposed and sworn in after Jacob Zuma’s resignation. (Photo by Gallo Images / Jeffrey Abrahams)
Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi is the leader of the IFP and also happens to be 90-years-old. With a long history with the ANC, the KwaZulu-Natal prince wants ANC members to remember that his situation is no joke.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi and the quest for ANC membership
Buthelezi was recently addressing dignitaries in Durban when he admitted that he gets furious when ANC members mock him about his situation.
Read: Should SA bring back the death penalty? IFP believes it may be time
The IFP leader even admitted that he instructed Energy Minister Jeff Radebe to stop ANC MPs from making jokes about him not being able to rejoin the party.
The dignitaries were attending a thanksgiving event at the Durban Exhibition Centre to mark the beginning of his 90th birthday celebrations. The big day will take place on 27 August.
The main birthday celebrations are set to draw in international presidents and former presidents as well a host of other international figures.
“I wish that before the trumpet sounds, this matter should be closed.”
“In Parliament I stopped them from coming to me to joke about this. I asked the Honourable Mr (Narend) Singh to convey this message to Mr Jeff Radebe, to say that, please, this is not a laughing matter as it needs to be closed,” he said.
According to Buthelezi, if the ANC really wanted him to have a humble death, the party should renew his membership.
He told the crowd how he had been humiliated by ANC leaders even though he had received Oliver Tambo’s blessing to launch the IFP. Buthelezi recounted how Mandela avoided meeting him.
“When Mandela was released, he phoned to tell me that we will meet soon, but that soon never came. Month after month passed until amakhosi (traditional leaders) in the Transkei asked him: “You and Buthelezi are so close… have you already met him?”
“He said: ‘No, because the leaders of the ANC and UDF almost throttled me,’”.
The KZN government has set money aside to upgrade Ulundi Airport in honour of Buthelezi.
