‘Don’t revise history’ – Ndlozi criticised for his speech at Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s memorial

Economic Freedom Fighters’ head of political education Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has been highly criticised for his speech at late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s memorial service in Ulundi on Wednesday.

Ndlozi and other EFF leaders attended the memorial service of the late prince, who died on Saturday.

‘Buthelezi a man of peace’

He earned praise from the mourners in attendance and criticism on social media after describing Buthelezi as a “man of peace”.

ALSO READ: OBITUARY: The life and times of Zulu Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi

Buthelezi’s legacy has been subject to debate, as some remember him for his contribution to the Zulu nation, while others remember his party’s violent history.

“Never be shaken by the negativity, ill-informed, ignorant people who are taking to the platform to say all types of things. Never be shaken by opportunists, hypocrites who want to educate us about our own history and the leadership that stabilised this country into a politically peaceful environment,” said Ndlozi, to a loud applause from the mourners.

“We are here to memorialise a man of peace, a person that built peace, and peace is not the language of cowards. Peace is not the language of opportunists.

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“Don’t be listening to people who want to tell us about collaborators; we are not scared of them; we know the true collaborators who are still collaborating to this day to deny our people the land and economic freedom in our lifetime – never be shaken by those talks. We know because they just collaborated a few years ago by killing the workers of Marikana, choosing the owners of Lonmin Mine over the black workers.

“Ushenge was a man of peace.”

EFF and IFP coalition?

Ndlozi further called on the IFP leaders to honour Buthelezi’s peace and shared the lessons his party learned from the IFP – a move seen as a call for a coalition.

ALSO READ: EFF grateful for Buthelezi’s role in ‘formative years’

“We call on the IFP to honour this peace. President, you must unite your forces under this legacy. Let me tell you, president, when we founded the EFF; we learned something important from the IFP. It is the only political formation that could take on the ANC toe to toe; we knew it was possible because the IFP made it possible,” he said.

“We knew we were going to survive. If you don’t know if we are going to survive, you should have seen FNB Stadium, and if FNB Stadium did not convince you, 2024 is coming, and together with the IFP, we are going to make it.”

ALSO READ: ‘Buthelezi tried to restore lasting peace’ – Zuma

Buthelezi will be buried in his hometown of Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday.