By Peter Ejiofor
Nigerians in the Republic of South Africa have condoled with the Buthelezi royal family over the death of Prince Mangosuthu Buthlezi, a.k.a. “Shenge’’, on September 9, aged 95.
Nigerians in that country under the aegis of Nigeria Union South Africa (NUSA), also expressed their condolences to the Zulu nation, everyone associated with Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and South Africans at large.
They expressed their condolences in a statement by Mr Habib Miller, the NUSA National Publicity Secretary on Wednesday.
“During this time of bereavement, may you be consoled by the distinctive life he led as a servant of the nation for decades, an achievement that will be perpetually embedded in the history of South Africa,’’ Miller said.
Buthelezi’s death was announced by South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, but no cause was noted. He reportedly died at his home in Ulundi in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
The late Buthelezi was a South African politician and Zulu prince who served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family from 1954 until his death in 2023.
He was appointed to this post by King Bhekuzulu, a son of King Solomon, who was a brother to Buthelezi’s mother, Princess Magogo.
Buthelezi was said to have directed a bloody power struggle that threatened to mar the historic break from apartheid in the 1990s, only to reach a last-minute pact with political rival Nelson Mandela before elections that brought the country’s first Black-led government in 1994.
