Former Sheppie High pupil Mkhuleko Hlengwa said he remembers how the late IFP leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi would often remind him that there is power in faith and prayer.
Hlengwa, who is a member of the National Assembly for the IFP and the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), completed his matric at Sheppie High in 2005.
His father, Mhlabunzima Hlengwa, served as an IFP MP from 1994 until 2004. He became a party activist at the young age of 10 in 1997 and soon became the national chairperson of the IFP Youth Brigade.
“I still don’t have words. We are on loan to the world, after that, we go back to God. I can easily say I was mentored by a legend. For who was I to walk side-by-side, stand on the shoulders of a giant. For now, thank you Shenge,” said Hlengwa.
He added that Buthelezi would often remind him that there is power in faith and prayer.
“He would then say ‘productive work is God’s purpose for all of us on earth’. He taught me that our best instinct was faith,” said Hlengwa.
IFP Ugu leader, Sfundo Ngwane said they were hard-hit by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s death.
“He spent the majority of his life working for the IFP and the Zulu Palace. In his 95 years of existence, you could still tell that he challenged a lot of people with some being younger than him. You couldn’t compare his intelligence to anyone else’s. We are hit hard more so because we are headed to the national government elections in 2024. There was a lot that we would have learned from him in preparation for the elections and there was a lot of things that he was going to guide us on,” said Ngwane, adding that right now they trust that their IFP leader, Velenkosini Hlabisa, will be strong and continue where Buthelezi left off.
Hlabisa said: “On behalf of the IFP, I offer condolences to His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and the Zulu Royal Family on the loss of the Zulu nation’s long-serving traditional Prime Minister, who gave so much to strengthen the institution of the monarchy and ensure the recognition of the King. We also extend our sympathies to the Buthelezi Clan, whom Prince Buthelezi served as Inkosi for seven decades. This loss will be keenly felt by many, both among those who directly benefitted from Prince Buthelezi’s leadership and those who admired his example of servant-heartedness. The IFP salutes you uMntwana. May you rest in eternal peace.”
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