KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has urged the eThekwini Municipality to erect a statue of the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
- KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has urged the eThekwini Municipality to erect a statue of the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
- Buthelezi said the city’s current Mandela and Tambo statues are incomplete without him.
- The Mandela and Tambo statues sparked debate over their R22-million cost and the need for inclusive representation of liberation icons.
KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has called for the erection of yet another statue in eThekwini, this time to honour the late founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Buthelezi said the city’s recent heritage memorials are incomplete without recognition of his role in South Africa’s liberation history.
The call came during Thulasizwe Buthelezi’s keynote address at the 2026 KwaZulu‑Natal Municipal Excellence Awards at the Durban International Convention Centre on Friday.
He said the nation must reflect its full liberation story, which includes acknowledging leaders from diverse spheres of the struggle.
“A complete and truthful reflection of South Africa’s liberation history must recognise Prince Buthelezi’s contribution alongside other national icons,” he said.
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His appeal follows the recent unveiling on 3 March of two towering bronze statues in the city – one of former president Nelson Mandela at the Moses Mabhida Stadium precinct, and another of anti‑apartheid stalwart Oliver Reginald Tambo along Durban’s North Beach promenade.
The 10‑metre‑tall statues were unveiled by President Cyril Ramaphosa as symbols of the country’s democratic journey.
The statues – which cost approximately R22 million – have sparked debate nationally, with supporters saying they honour historic contributions and critics questioning the expenditure amid continuing service delivery challenges in eThekwini.
Buthelezi – who is also a senior member of the IFP – said in his address that while the Mandela and Tambo statues represent important chapters of the struggle against apartheid, they do not fully capture the diversity of leadership and resistance that helped bring about South Africa’s democracy.
“Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was the bridge between the ANC mission in exile under Mr Oliver Tambo and the new democratic dispensation under president Nelson Mandela,” Buthelezi said.
“When the apartheid regime had silenced both Tambo and Mandela, Buthelezi was the voice of the oppressed.”
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He added that the two statues in eThekwini are, therefore, incomplete without the statue of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Buthelezi said honouring Prince Buthelezi alongside other liberation icons would contribute to a more inclusive historical narrative that acknowledges the collective leadership that shaped the nation.
Prince Buthelezi, who died in September 2023, was a South African political leader who founded the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1975 and led it until 2019, later becoming its president emeritus.
He also served for decades as traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch.
