Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation launched to mark 94th birthday

At 94, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi still answers letters from people he has never met and accepts meetings despite his body being frail and disobliging — all in the service of humanity.

The IFP founder this year launched the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation to mark his 94th birthday — a platform that will not only preserve his legacy but create a vehicle through which his principles and life's work can be carried forward.

On Thursday, Buthelezi told guests at the launch that while he was honoured to have a foundation in his name, the true gift for him is knowing that what he has tried to achieve all his life will continue to be pursued long after his death.

Buthelezi has spent his life in politics, first in the ANC Youth League and then as a founding leader of the IFP — something he never fails to mention was a decision of ANC President Oliver Tambo at the time “to fight the apartheid government from inside SA”.

He has also served as traditional minister of the Zulu monarchy for three kings — having been born into the Zulu royal  family as the son of Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu, King Solomon’s sister, and Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi, the king’s prime minister.

He did not dwell on either role on Thursday but focused on the mission of creating a better SA.  

“The mission of creating social justice and economic freedom is of course one that will never be completed. It will require constant pursuit, and we can only ever get closer to the goal while furiously fighting the rising tide of injustice,” said the nonagenarian.

The Prince of KwaPhindangene said he was bothered that no matter how many houses are built, or schools opened or clinics erected, there are still those who are homeless, uneducated and ill.

This, according to Buthelezi, is what has propelled him to still take his walks and get up every morning to do what he can towards a better future for those in need.

“There is always too much to do, too many problems to contend with, too much suffering to endure. This is why I have never stopped and never surrendered, despite reaching the great age of 94,” said Buthelezi.

Narrating his life lessons and the unwavering commitment to SA, the MP said: “Life is a series of decisions. Some difficult, complex and even painful. Some sacrificial for the sake of a higher calling. And some simple and easy to make.

“The decision to serve my country has been all of these combined. It has at various times been the obvious path of my birth and destiny, and the heaviest burden one could imagine. But always, always, it has been worth the effort.”

Buthelezi says he cannot shake the feeling that the work of service remains undone, that it is incomplete, simply because it will always be necessary. While he has had many decades dedicated to this work of service and now a foundation in his name, he emphasised he does not imagine himself the saviour of the world.

“I am indeed wholly reliant on my own saviour, Christ Jesus, just to get up in the mornings. But I do feel the weight of need and the burden of my own responsibility, for at what point really do we get to say, 'I have done enough. This is not my problem any more'.?”

The foundation launch was attended by politicians and IFP leaders while the ANC was represented by MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi.

Business people and philanthropists such as Vivian Reddy and Chichi Maponya attended, Some members of the Zulu royal family and the remaining children of Buthelezi and the late Princess Irene were also in attendance.

Many of those who took to the stage spoke fondly of the 94-year-old and while they knew him personally, they emphasised that the relationship Buthelezi had with their parents had inspired them to do good for their communities.

He told the board of the foundation that he was grateful to and very sorry for the trustees who had taken on the burden of carrying forward the work he has been doing for so many years.

“I know what lies ahead for you, and let me give you a hint: sleepless nights, long hours, and the impossible choice between competing causes of equal value.

“My great consolation is that this foundation has been structured in such a way that it is not trying to carry a burden alone,” said Buthelezi.

He explained that the foundation's goal is to reach out to like-minded individuals and organisations, and build synergistic relationships.

Adding that this way, good projects that might be struggling for traction will be given a boost while campaigns that lack visibility will be placed in the spotlight and initiatives that change the lives of a few could grow to make a bigger difference.

“I think that alone speaks of the way I have always operated. As much as I have carried this burden to solve my people’s problems, I have never carried it alone.

“I understand the power of partnership. I understand that efforts combined do not bring double the reward, but instead compound the reward exponentially, so that what we can accomplish by working together becomes far greater than we even anticipated,” he explained. 

He has also committed himself give his full support to the foundation's work. And his greatest joy, Buthelezi said, is knowing that the work will continue long after his own contribution.

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