Did You Know…
- Prince Buthelezi is descended from King Shaka, the founder of the Zulu Nation.
- His mother, Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu, was an internationally acclaimed composer, singer and musician.
- He was raised at KwaDlamahlahla Palace under the care of King Solomon kaDinuzulu.
- His father was the traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation. He died when Prince Buthelezi was just 14 years old.
- The Zulu Regent, Prince Mshiyeni, personally drove Prince Buthelezi to Adams College when he began school there.
- In his matric year, Prince Buthelezi assisted Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme, the founder of the ANC, with his correspondence.
- He entered the University of Fort Hare in the very year the National Party instituted Apartheid.
- He studied Roman-Dutch Law and Bantu Administration.
- Expelled from Fort Hare for political activism, he completed his studies at the University of Natal.
- His Majesty King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon accompanied Prince Buthelezi to his graduation.
- Prince Buthelezi has served as the traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation under three successive Kings.
- He was first appointed in 1954 by King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon.
- At just 27, he was chosen by Amakhosi to respond to the architect of apartheid, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, after Verwoerd addressed an Imbizo.
- Prince Buthelezi has waged a lifelong battle to protect the institutions of the monarchy and traditional leadership.
- For all that he has done, he received both the King’s Cross Award and the King Shaka Gold Medal.
- His paternal great-grandfather, Inkosi Mnyamana, was Commander-in-Chief of all the King’s Regiments in the Anglo-Zulu War.
- He has taken the salute from the Royal Welsh Regiment in Brecon, as a descendant of King Cetshwayo.
- He owns a malacca cane given to his father by King Edward VIII.
- Prince Buthelezi played his great-grandfather, King Cetshwayo, in the iconic film “Zulu” alongside Sir Michael Caine.
- He forced Parliament to reconvene for one day before the 1994 elections to insert the recognition of the monarch in the Constitution.
- Prince Buthelezi attributes his lifelong faith in Christ to the teachings of his mother, Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu.
- One of his foremost mentors was Bishop Alphaeus Zulu, the first Black Diocesan Bishop in Southern Africa.
- During the armed struggle, he visited the Archbishop of Canterbury to debate the notion of a “Just War”.
- He has had an audience at the Vatican with three Popes of the Roman Catholic Church.
- He was awarded the Order of St Markhus in Egypt by the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa of the Greek Orthodox Church.
- He has received the Order of St Michael and All Angels from the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.
- On successive presidential invitations, he has attended the National Prayer Breakfasts in Washington DC.
- He holds morning and evening prayers with his children; a family tradition that has spanned decades.
- He often sings his favourite hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less”.
- His faith has guided all his principles and underpins his commitment to peace, service and sacrifice.
- Prince Buthelezi’s uncle, Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme, founded the South African National Native Congress (ANC) in 1912.
- On the instruction of Inkosi Albert Luthuli and Oliver Tambo, Prince Buthelezi led the KwaZulu Government for 19 years.
- On the advice of President Kenneth Kaunda, he founded Inkatha in 1975 to reignite the struggle for liberation within South Africa.
- Leaders throughout Africa welcomed him, such as Emperor Haile Selassie and President Julius Nyerere.
- He was awarded Knight Commander of the Star of Africa by Liberia’s President Tolbert.
- Further afield, he received the French National Order of Merit from President Giscard d’Estaing.
- He was received at the White House by US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Bush.
- Dr Martin Luther King’s alma mater in Boston gave him one of Dr King’s personal journals.
- UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher personally visited him in Ulundi.
- HRH Prince Philip invited him to Buckingham Palace, and he visited the Prince of Wales at both Highgrove House and Kensington Palace.
- At the height of Apartheid, Prince Buthelezi’s book South Africa: My Vision of the Future ignited hope.
- He rejected independence for KwaZulu, thereby safeguarding the citizenship of millions of Black South Africans.
- By 1973, the South African Society of Journalists was calling him “Newsmaker of the Year”.
- He successfully challenged the apartheid Government’s plan to cede parts of South Africa to Swaziland.
- He held more rallies under the banner “Free Mandela” than any other leader.
- Through his leadership, some 6000 classrooms were built in KwaZulu, undermining the policy of ‘Bantu Education’.
- He established the first vocational university for Black South Africans.
- He established the first Black trade union, winning him the international George Meany Human Rights Award.
- Announcing the release of Mandela in 1990, President de Klerk named Prince Buthelezi as a catalyst for his decision.
- Ultimately, his commitment to building the future while opposing the regime secured a stronger, more stable democracy.
- In May 1994, Prince Buthelezi was sworn in as the first Minister of Home Affairs of a democratic South Africa.
- He was the first Minister to be appointed Acting President by President Mandela.
- Over the next ten years, he acted as President 22 times.
- In 1999, President Mbeki offered him the Deputy Presidency of the country.
- During his time as Minister, more than 700 pieces of legislation were passed by Parliament.
- He transformed South Africa’s entire body of immigration law to open the country to skills and investment.
- He has served in Parliament for three decades, under five Presidents.
- Under his leadership, the Government was compelled to roll out antiretrovirals to all birth clinics in South Africa.
- In 2001, he received The Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award from the American Conservative Union.
- He is described as “the voice of reason” in the National Assembly, where he draws respect from all parties.