Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has paid tribute to Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi following his death on Saturday.
Buthelezi was the founder and former president of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). He was also the traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation.
Buthelezi celebrated his 95th birthday on August 27, two weeks before his death.
Sooliman started off by offering the Gift of the Givers’ sincere condolences to Buthelezi’s family, the Zulu nation and the IFP on the “huge loss of a wonderfully respectful man”.
“Memories of the few times we met were that of a deeply religious honourable man, intensely humble, showing respect to all, young and old, irrespective of class, status, race or colour,” Sooliman said of Buthelezi.
“He was outspoken, truthful and rational, never afraid to be criticised in acting in the best interest of the nation.”
He said that Buthelezi was the first leader who made a call for peace and instructed his followers not to participate in the looting of July 2021.
Buthelezi went further and succeeded in protecting many businesses from being vandalised in that stormy period, Sooliman said.
He also said that he received a signed copy of Buthelezi’s book as a personal gift.
“The sense of warmth and deep caring was palpable on the rare occasions we met,” Sooliman said.
“May his soul find peace in the heavenly abode of light and bliss and may his family and followers be granted ease in this difficult period.”
The United Nations (UN) in South Africa also expressed its deepest condolences following Buthelezi’s death, describing him as “a consequential leader who marked the history and trajectory of the Zulu people and the rest of the rainbow nation”.
“Our thoughts are with the members of the royal household and the Zulu kingdom,” said Nelson Muffuh, the UN in South Africa head and its resident co-ordinator.
Muffuh added that Buthelezi, who led the IFP for decades before he stepped down in 2019, was appointed the home affairs minister in former President Nelson Mandela’s first Cabinet.
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