FOLLOWING the announcement of the official state funeral for Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the family has postponed his final send-off.
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) president Velenkosini Hlabisa told Daily Sun the funeral has been moved from Friday, 15 September to Saturday, 16 September.
“This is due to the number of considerations to ensure that proper logistics are done so that he is given a proper send-off.
“We are expecting our members across South Africa, mostly from KZN and Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Free State and friends of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi will be coming from various African states and others coming from abroad,” he said.
Hlabisa said he wanted to convey their gratitude to the IFP and President Cyril Ramaphosa for declaring the funeral as a category one state funeral.
“We understand very few people have been granted the category one state funeral. It is only granted to extraordinary citizens, who displayed an usual commitment in servicing the people of South Africa.
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“We are appreciating what the president has done because he demonstrated that he looked beyond the politics. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was only the remaining active leader who worked tirelessly during the era of apartheid, demanding the release of Madiba and other political prisoners also demanding the unbanning of political organisations who were operating from outside South Africa,” he said.
Hlabisa said they have seen Buthelezi when the country got into a new dispensation, he has been acting state president several times in former president Nelson Mandela's absence.
“That itself shows that even though he was not a member of the ANC but a leader of the IFP, the government of South Africa was not having a problem in requesting him whenever the president was not in the country,” he said.
The funeral will be held at Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Regional Stadium, named after Prince Buthelezi in Ulundi, KZN.
The family has announced that as of Thursday, 14 September they will no longer be receiving mourners at KwaPhindangene to allow them to prepare for the private family rituals ahead of the funeral service.
