WATCH | Slaughtered giraffes, impalas skinned by Buthelezi's mourners

Two already slaughtered giraffes and six impalas have been skinned by mourners as part of the preparations for the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s funeral.

The animals were skinned at Buthelezi's home in KwaPhindangene in Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday to provide meat for mourners on Friday when Buthelezi’s body will be brought back to his home.

In the videos and pictures on social media, a truck from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife can be seen offloading the animals' carcasses.

Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo confirmed to TimesLIVE the animals were donated by them after they received a formal written request from the Buthelezi royal household.

“We did as per the request. We donated two giraffes and six impalas. We donated to them as a traditional authority, which is something we normally do to traditional authorities around our game reserves,” he said.

WARNING: This video may upset sensitive viewers.

The animals were part of the annual population committee’s culling recommendations. All game reserves kept animal populations at a certain level, Mntambo explained.

For example, if there should be 30 giraffes in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, the excess must be culled to maintain the maximum number of giraffes in the reserve.

“The animals that were donated are part of the [culling],” said Mntambo.

TimesLIVE