Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a Zulu nationalist who oversaw the deadliest violence in South Africa prior to the country’s first multiracial elections in 1994, passed away on Saturday at the age of 95, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced.
“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi … Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation, and the Founder and President Emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party.” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
The largest ethnic group in South Africa, the Zulus, were led by their hereditary chief, Buthelezi. In addition, he founded the Inkatha Freedom Party, a Zulu political and cultural movement, and served as prime minister of KwaZulu, the Zulu homeland.
“Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle, the transition which secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation,” Mr. Ramaphosa said.
