Zulu leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi dies aged 95

Mangosuthu Buthelezi, traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation, has died at the age of 95.

One of the leading figures of South African politics over the last 50 years, he was leader of the Zulu homeland under apartheid.

As a member of Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, he served as minister for home affairs for a decade.

President Cyril Ramaphosa led tributes, describing Chief Buthelezi as a “formidable leader”.

He said: “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.”

Chief Buthelezi was the founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party, a Zulu political and cultural movement.

He found common cause with the African National Congress in the struggle against apartheid and campaigned for the release of Mr Mandela.

But he became a fierce critic of the organisation in the 1980s, denouncing its support for armed opposition to the apartheid authorities and its backing for international sanctions.

Source: BBC