Johannesburg – As tributes continue to pour in following the death of IFP founder and traditional prime minister for the Zulu King, Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa has defended the legacy of the late statesman.
The IFP founder and president emeritus died just two weeks after celebrating his 95th birthday while still in the hospital.
Buthelezi was discharged only to pass away on Saturday morning, with news of his passing sending an avalanche of tributes and condolences across the globe.
However, there were certain sections of society that questioned his real legacy and the hero worship he has been receiving since he was admitted to the hospital following a recent back surgery that kept him in and out of the hospital towards the latter days of his life.
This comes after a section of South Africans slammed Buthelezi as a war monger and a protector and defender of the Apartheid regime.
Hlengwa told Newzroom Afrika on Saturday that while people are allowed to reflect on the good and bad things that were done by Buthelezi, he still stands by the legacy and greatness of the former ANC youth league member who, in 1975, founded the IFP.
Hlengwa said even Jesus Christ was loved by some and hated by others saying differences in outlook yield differing perspectives.
“Differences in leadership and outlook of any legacy about to happen All I am saying is that 20 000 black people died in this country in a low-intensity black-on-black civil war in this country. Twelve thousand of them were IFP members and leaders. So, he carries the deaths of people who are his followers, who are his supporters, and who are his colleagues. If we want to have a debate about that time, we can do so,” he said.
He added that the deaths affected both the IFP and the ANC members and leaders alike, and therefore blaming Buthelezi alone is unfair.
“Do we place the deaths of the leaders and members at the feet of the president of the ANC at the time, Oliver Tambo? It would be reckless and irresponsible to want to scratch the surface of a complex history because President Mbeki and Buthelezi unveiled a memorial in Thokoza in 1999 for the victims of that violence, both for the IFP and the ANC. Therefore, this conversation that is taking place is unfair. While people must reflect, I do find that it is an irresponsible knee-jerk reaction out of context of what happened,” Hlengwa said.
The Star