IreneButheleziFuneral | 'I will listen now to our favourite music, and close my eyes, and imagine that she is still here.'
Below is the full, unedited address of her husband of 67 years, IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu ButheleziHow do I say farewell to the love of my life? I cannot count the times we said goodbye to each other. Seven decades are marked by goodbyes. The quick kiss on the cheek as she left to drive the children somewhere. The litany of instructions to rest and eat well and look after myself as I left for an international trip.
I am deeply grateful to the many friends who have surrounded our family in this time of grief. Thank you for the support you are giving to me and to our children, Ntuthukoyezwe Zuzifa, Phumzile Nokuphiwa and Sibuyiselwe Angela. Thank you to the friends of our grandchildren for standing beside them and weeping. And thank you to my colleagues who serve our country alongside me. Your condolences and, more so, your prayers are greatly appreciated.
But that was not the whole of her. There was a depth to her that I find hard to express. It was in her faith, in the way she turned to the Lord when she was angry, disappointed, surprised, excited or uncertain. She shared her life with her Maker, and He in turn blessed her with endless courage, fortitude and wisdom.
I vividly remember our first international trip in 1963, when we visited Scandinavia at the invitation of the Swedish Lutheran Bishop Helge Fosseus. More than once we were together in the United States. In Africa we travelled together to Ethiopia, as well as visiting President Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia and President Julius Nyerere in Tanzania.
People often commented that Indlunkulu Irene knew more about Zulu culture than those born and bred in the Zulu Kingdom. I know that I have my mother to thank for that, for Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu embraced Princess Irene as a daughter and guided her through all the learning of protocol and cultural nuances. The two of them got along so well that I was never concerned when my duties took me away from home. Right up until my mother’s passing in 1984, she and Princess Irene were fast friends.
I can forgive much, but it was difficult to forgive the ignorant or malicious whenever I found my wife in tears. I wonder sometimes when people sit and write such terrible things, whether they think about how many lives are affected and how much heartache they will cause.
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