Lerato Mbele speaks to Dr Sydney Mufamadi, Former Minister of Safety & Security & Provincial & Local Government, political analyst Dr Metji Makgoba and Professor Sihawukele Ngubane, a Cultural Expert & Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal about Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. 

Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi was a prominent figure who led the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) for an extended period and also played a pivotal role in South Africa's negotiated 1994 settlement. He evolved into a cabinet minister and statesman in the post-apartheid era and was frequently entrusted with the role of acting president between 1994 and 2004. However, his legacy is marked by complexity and controversy, as he was also closely associated with the apartheid regime's Bantustan system, the violence that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) during the 1980s and early 1990s under his leadership, and his role in bringing the country to the brink of civil war before ultimately deciding to participate in South Africa's inaugural democratic elections in 1994. His enigmatic political career, which continues to divide opinions both at home and abroad, remain a topic of intrigue days after his passing. In this conversation we want to understand what South Africans should make of his death, given the reality of his chequered legacy.

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