Prince Nhlanhla Elijah Zulu (20 January 1940 – 15 June 2007) was a South African politician and prince of the Zulu royal family. He represented the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the National Assembly from 1995 until his death in 2007. A founding member of the IFP in 1975, he also served on the party's National Council until his death.

Early life and career

Zulu was born on 20 January 1940 and was the son of Prince Nojombo and grandson of Zulu King Dinuzulu. He was educated as a laboratory technician and from 1967 worked at Sappi. According to Zulu's cousin, Prince

Mangosuthu Buthelezi Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (born 27 August 1928) is a South African politician and Zulu traditional leader who is currently a Member of Parliament and the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family. He was Chief Minister of the ...

, Zulu was a founding member of Buthelezi's Inkatha movement (later renamed the IFP) in 1975. He became the chairperson of Inkatha's branch in Mandini, KwaZulu-Natal, and was a member of the party's Central Committee (later its National Council) until his death.

Legislative career: 1995–2007

In 1995, Zulu was sworn into an IFP seat in the National Assembly, filling a casual vacancy. He served in the seat until his death in 2007, gaining re-election in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, and he represented the KwaZulu-Natal constituency.

Personal life and death

Zulu was polygamous, in line with Zulu tradition, and had children. At the time of his death, all four of his sons were deceased. He told the '' Los Angeles Times'' that two of his sons had been murdered – one shot and the other stabbed – for political reasons, "simply because they were my children", in the aftermath of the 1994 general election. He died on 15 June 2007 after spending several weeks in hospital. His seat in the National Assembly was filled by Narend Singh.

References

2007 deaths Zulu royalty Inkatha Freedom Party politicians 20th-century South African politicians 21st-century South African politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa {{DEFAULTSORT:Zulu, Nhlanhla