Thousands of mourners gathered at the uLundi stadium to pay their last respects and bid farewell to AmaZulu traditional Prime Minister and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Several international dignitaries from across Africa and around the world also arrived in Kwa -Zulu Natal since Friday to attend Buthelezi’s funeral.

AMABUTHO

Amabutho in their leopard skin regalia carrying shields and knobkeries, the chanted songs while they made their way to the stadium even delaying the start of the programme. Amabutho played a vital role from rituals that were performed at the mortuary before Prince Buthelezi was brought home to representing the Zulu nation with their regalia. Two giraffes and six impalas were slaughtered and skinned as part of the rituals performed before burial.

WORLD LEADERS ATTENDED THE FUNERAL

Member of the National Council of the IFP, Les Govender, said Buthelezi built strong relationships locally and internationally. Among attendees were former presidents Jacob Zuma who got the crowd excited and cheering him on when he walked into the stadium and Thabo Mbeki. President Cyril Ramaphosa walked into the stadium and did a walkabout greeting dignitaries before the service started. "People from China, India and Australia were in attendance. The the former President of Nigeria is here. Leaders from the African continent, royalty as well from Zambia, Ghana and that list is endless from the African continent, then we have the royal Welsh regiment. We have a representative from the British military who will be laying a wreath as well as a representative from the United States. The Dalai Lama sent representatives to attend the funeral," Ramaphosa said before delivering the eulogy.

FAMILY

Prince Buthelezi’s granddaughter and rapper Toya Delazy said her grandparents stepped up when she lost both her parents. She said her grandfather supported her dream of becoming a musician and would sing with her sometimes. "I want to tell you about the kind of relationship we had. As a young child, he provided for my needs and was a major influence on my knowledge, culture and becoming the artist that I am today, rapping in Zulu," she told the mourners. " I remember this one time we were singing in the car and he told I had the gift of music and foresight like his mom Princess Magogo. This is hitting me for the second time and perhaps because I’ve experienced being an orphan before, I can help my family through this process," she said. Buthelezi’s son Prince Zuzifa Buthelezi said his father was not a politician to them. "You have missed the measure of a man if you looked at our father through the tainted eyes of politics," he said. He said the legacy which his father will be remembered with is a legacy of service to the Zulu nation and the rest of the country. "The vehicle he chose was politics which to him meant politics,that part shaped his life and it also shaped our family and we are very much aware that the longest mule in his life was in the political sphere but that’s not only who he was," Zuzifa added.

DIGNITARIES

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said Prince Buthelezi’s death is a big loss not only to his family and SA but to the whole of Africa. "History will record his vital contribution to the realisation of the dream of regional unity in southern Africa."