Long-serving KZN Prime Minister and President Emeritus of IFP Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was laid to rest yesterday, Saturday, 16 September, without a successor to fill his position.

LATE IFP LEADER BUTHELEZI PASSES AWAY AT THE HELM
Unlike the party he founded and served as President for over 40 years, Buthelezi stepped down as its leader and allowed fresh blood in party loyalist Velenkosini Hlabisa to propel the party forward in 2019.
However, this was not the case with his position as the Prime Minister of the Zulu nation.
Buthelezi began serving as the Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu royal family from 1954 to 2023 under three monarchs, Cyprian Bhekuzulu, Goodwill Zwelithini and Misuzulu Zulu.WHO WILL BE THE NEXT KZN PRIME MINISTER?
It is understood that the reigning King, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, has a mammoth task of appointing a new prime minister to serve in the royal family in due course. It is unclear at this stage who the King might find fit and suitable to fill these big shoes accompanied by years of diligent service by Buthelezi. However, it has been reported that some candidates within the Buthelezi clan have been considered for this title.

The Prime Minister of the Zulu nation passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning, 9 September 2023, just two months after he celebrated his 95th birthday.Following his passing, President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi for his leadership, saying: “Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle, the transition which secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation”