Shenge, one of SA’S protagonists
TOMORROW, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi will celebrate his 90th birthday. There is a mammoth task lying ahead for journalists, writers and documentary-makers to mirror his side of the story. A Latin saying goes: “Audi alteram partem”, meaning let the other side be heard as well.
Much needs to be written about Buthelezi as one of the protagonists in this country’s political stage. He is among the few patriots whose voice, thoughts and contributions have not been captured adequately.
Countless unsung heroines went to the grave not only with great stories untold, but with immeasurable wisdom and experiences.
Those chapters are lost forever about their lives. They are nowhere to be found because most were not keeping a daily journal – like former US president Ronald Reagan, who reflected daily on his activities for eight years without fail. He only missed one day – when he was shot.
Coincidentally, Reagan recorded this on Buthelezi during their first meeting on February 4, 1985: “Met with South African Chief of Zulus, Gatsha Buthelezi. He’s a very impressive man well-educated and while dedicated to ending apartheid in South Africa still is well-balanced and knows it will take time. I’d quoted him in my own speeches before I ever met him.”
One would argue that Buthelezi is a prolific speech-writer and there is no need to interview him or he could be exonerated for not writing his memoir. This is not enough as more clarity is required about understanding some of his documents.
Many are trembling with fear, although only God alone knows when Shenge’s heart will stop pumping blood. They will not appreciate equating him to a medical doctor who is buried with his stethoscope. He has stated personally that the days left for him are fewer. And he is grateful to God.
Shenge knows in his soul that he owes future generations at least one book out of many he could have written. This country and the world at large know that he is a leader of countless intellectual attributes and could be engaged almost in any field of life.
He is imbued with a wonderful memory and he recalls an incident of 50 years ago within a fraction of a second. He is clear-minded about his family history (the Buthelezi clan) and knows how King Shaka formed and unified the Zulu nation.
His mother, Princess Magogo Kadinuzulu, introduced him from her knee to the landmarks of successive Zulu kings and their prime ministers, King Cetshwayo and Mnyamana Buthelezi (respectively) who were in the vanguard of 1879 Anglo Zulu War, the Battle of Isandlwana.
The ANC was founded by his maternal uncle, Dr Pixley Ka-isaka Seme. He spent countless hours drafting Seme’s letters, which he dictated for him after Seme’s eye operation. Buthelezi had quality meetings with the likes of Inkosi Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Kenneth Kaunda and many African leaders, long before it became popular to claim to rub shoulders with them.
Buthelezi faced apartheid heavyweights head-on and had eyeball-to-eyeball discussions with John Vorster, Jimmy Kruger, PW Botha, Piet Koornhof and Pik Botha.
He voted on his feet not to enter into any negotiations about postapartheid South Africa before all political prisoners (like Mandela) were released unconditionally. On February 2, 1990, FW de Klerk singled out his name as the only leader “who helped him to reach this dispensation”.
Buthelezi believed that South Africa belonged to all and they should be given genuine powersharing platform to negotiate. His political experience was recognised in de facto and de jure when Mandela and Mbeki appointed him 22 times as acting State President.
His leadership and administrative skills were tested countless time.
He was in the vanguard during the establishments of the University of Zululand and Mangosuthu University of Technology. He firmly believed in the utilisation of education as it contributes immensely in impacting positively on the lives of young people.
Every year when a black child passed matric during apartheid South Africa, he said: “Each time a black child passes matric that is a
There are many reasons that challenge him to write a book and also those willing to write about him. It would be a fatal blow if nothing more and fresh was written about him.
An autobiographical or biographical book is needed on the shelves of bookshops and reference libraries. Many are itchy to know how a young boy or Zulu prince from the deep rural Mahlabathini shaped the future of this country. The born-frees need to know more about this formidable survivor who did not pale into meaninglessness after 1994 as many had predicted.
Robert Kennedy said: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events and in the total of all those events be written the history of this generation.”
THEMBA J NKOSI Freelance journalist and writer Durban