Buthelezi decries poverty in South Africa

Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi,
South African prominent politician

Buthelezi decries poverty in South Africa
Godwin Etefia –  Calabar

South African prominent politician and Leader of the opposition Inkatha Freedom Party, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi says though his country has been emancipated from apartheid, the people are yet to win the battle for economic freedom.

Chief Buthelezi made the observation while interacting with newsmen in Nigeria’s southern city of Calabar during a visit to the country.

He said although South Africa is regarded as more developed than other countries on the continent, yet its people are still trapped in poverty.

In an apparent reference to his stance during the days of the struggle to free South Africa from apartheid, Chief Buthelezi said he had “always warned the people that after political freedom the subsequent struggle for economic emancipation would be more difficult.”

Now with political freedom, he said, “the people are trapped in poverty … and this has happened exactly as I said in South Africa.”

In his words, “I realised that having been in government for ten years, we were hoping that we’ll get economic growth even beyond three percent but we have not yet achieved that. The struggle is going to be long because we cannot create jobs without economic growth.”

Nigeria’s contribution to the struggle

He recalled the role which Nigeria played in the liberation of South Africa and said that he felt at home being in Nigeria, noting that “I’ve always had a soft spot for Nigeria … therefore to come to Nigeria to me is like coming home because Nigeria, like some of the other African states, realised that as long as we are not liberated, in South Africa, Africa is not liberated, and contributed so much to our emancipation.”

Chief Buthelezi who said he was on a religious visit to Nigeria, met with the leader of a Calabar based religious organisation, Olumba Olumba Obu of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Stars.

He was accompanied on the visit by the leader of the youth wing of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Mr. Mkulelu Hlengwa.

Ekata