Collusion with apartheid regime a permanent historical stain

LAST Sunday, the IFP celebrated 50 years of its existence. It was on March 23, 1975, when the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi formed Inkatha yeNkululeko yeSizwe. This was dubbed a cultural movement disguised as the revival of Inkatha ka Shaka which was established by King Dingiswayo in 1922.

- PROF BHEKI MNGOMEZULU

On the eve of the first democratic election in April 1994, Inkatha YeNkululeko yeSizwe converted to a political party called the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

Buthelezi was the only leader of the IFP, from 1975 to 2012. In 2012, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi of Mbongombomvu was elected as the first deputy president of the IFP. There was speculation that Inkosi Hlomuka would be the next president of the party. However, it was Velenkosini Hlabisa who took the reigns from Buthelezi in 2019.

What is the future of the IFP following the passing of Buthelezi?

To answer this question, one must reflect on the history of the party in its own right and in the context of South Africa’s broader political context.

When Inkatha was formed in 1975, it received the blessings of Zamindaba’s President Kenneth Kaunda who hosted the ANC following its banning together with the PAC in 1960. It also received the blessings of Oliver Reginald Tambo.

The idea behind the formation of Inkatha was to provide a political home to Inkatha members and ANC members for the same reason that Prince Buthelezi used to visit the ANC headquarters in Lusaka to give reports and get a clear mandate. This continued until 1979 when Buthelezi led a 17-member delegation to London to meet the ANC leadership. To this day, there was a trust deficit between Buthelezi and some in the ANC, although Tambo had promoted Buthelezi again, such a meeting never materialised.