By Hon Vf Hlabisa MP
President of the Inkatha Freedom Party
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Ndwedwe: Sunday, 23 February, 2025
The Mfayela Family –
Members of the IFP National Executive Committee (NEC) –
The Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation –
Amakhosi asendlunkulu –
Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs –
Mayors and Councillors –
Community and business leaders –
Friends –
It was Nancy Cobb who once said, and I quote,
“Remembering is an act of resurrection,
Each repetition, a vital layer of mourning,
In memory, of those we are sure to meet again.”
Today, we meet to mourn. We meet to remember. We meet to memorialise a great man.
We gather as believers, surely with the hope that will meet our departed loved ones again.
Senzo Brian Mfayela was born on 23 November 1961.
He was kind, compassionate, wise and dependable.
He was an IFP leader and stalwart, but more importantly a friend, father, husband, grandfather, brother and wise counsel to many.
A true humanist he recognised the needs of others and always helped where he could. He epitomised African humanism. He was a man who always treated those around him with the utmost respect. He valued the perspectives of everyone, even if he did not agree with them.
Mr Mfayela recognised that as a people, even with our vast differences, we can find common ground and work towards a better future for all. As a natural diplomat he, through his service to our nation, made a significant contribution towards the peace, growth, stability and unity of our country.
Thus, we meet this morning to celebrate a truly remarkable life.
Mr Mfayela was not a man that sought the limelight. Nor did he seek accolades for his work and achievements to be recognised and rewarded.
Mchoboza joined the Inkatha yeNkululeko yeSizwe in 1976 and was one of the first generation of youth leaders in Inkatha.
He started his working career at the KwaZulu Government Bureau of Community and Youth Affairs in the Chief Minister’s office. He was deeply involved in community development programmes to empower communities and to ensure that they have full ownership of their projects.
He was a proponent of self-help and self-reliance.
He truly ensured that the proverbial fishing rod and not just the fish was provided to ensure the sustainability and longevity of community projects. He worked tirelessly in disadvantaged communities in KwaZulu to start and sustain projects which contributed to food security and community development across KwaZulu.
Mchoboza continued his work to assist marginalised communities when he joined the Inkatha Institute for South Africa, where he worked with Prof Laurie Schlemmer on research programmes affecting low-income communities in KwaZulu. Throughout his life his focus was on grassroots communities and alleviating poverty. His focus was that of breaking the cycle of poverty and addressing the need for proper education, health and security to ensure a better future for us all.
In the late 80s, when sanctions and disinvestment in South Africa was at its height, he was appointed as the IFP’s representative in Germany. In a hostile climate he was steadfast and sure in his presentation of a negotiated settlement, the release of Mr Mandela as a prerequisite to negotiations and our commitment to non-violence.
He embodied the very essence of what Inkatha stood for.
On his return to South Africa Mchoboza was an IFP representative on the National Peace Secretariat which was formed after the signing of the National Peace Accord in 1991.
This Secretariat was responsible for negotiating and maintaining peace in our country leading up to the 1994 democratic elections. A difficult task to present the horrific violence against our people and to work towards a peaceful transition. None of us will, and must, forget the price paid for our liberation. Mchoboza was at the heart of making sure that peace prevails for us, and future generations. He was at the coalface to ensure that our country transitioned peacefully and was a true diplomat and negotiator in the most difficult of times.
At this time he was also responsible for the political programmes of the Inkatha Freedom Party and many of our younger generations, and those in the political sphere at large, are graduates of these political programmes. Mchoboza and his team crisscrossed our country, where they educated and instilled the values of African humanism among the next generation.
In 1994 Mr Mfayela was elected as a Member of the National Parliament, as one of the first generation of IFP Members of Parliament to be elected in a democratic South Africa. Here he was member of the Constitutional Assembly team, who drafted the new South African Constitution and, also served on the environmental, tourism and transport portfolio committees. He served with distinction and was a valued member in drafting our country’s new Constitution and ensuring that the interests of all South Africans are served.
At the Constitutional Assembly in 1995, when the IFP’s submission on Human Dignity, Right to Life, and Privacy was presented by Ms Suzanne Vos and Mchoboza, a point of clarity was raised and they were asked: if the right to human dignity was accorded equally to chief and subject. This was in reference to a time where there was a push from our political opponents to restrain the powers of traditional leadership and its role and function. Mchoboza replied, “dignity is not accorded differentially but applies equally to all irrespective of social status. Differences were only accommodated in practice of customary respect.”
Mchoboza was a true statemen who led from the front in the fight for the recognition of the institution of traditional leadership.
After 1999, Mchoboza entered the private sector and continued to work towards uplifting communities and assisting community aid programmes.
As part of LST Investments, in his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), he conceptualised and built a shopping centre in eNseleni township, in collaboration with traditional leaders. The Mall has brought economic development opportunities, including employment opportunities to the local community.
He also worked at KPMG at their Durban office. But of note is also his role as a Director of Mandla-Matla which publishes the Ilanga Newspaper and his involvement in ensuring that the newspaper kept up with the changing times and entered the digital era with an online edition.
In 2022, he took on the role of CEO of the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation and again worked tirelessly to ensure that the legacy of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is kept alive. Even on the day he was admitted to hospital he crafted a press statement for the Foundation in support of Ithala Bank.
In his final years he was a wise counsel to the IFP leadership. A member of the National Council, the highest-decision making-body in between conferences, Mr Mfayela was a walking history book. A razor-sharp mind. A moral compass reminding us all what the IFP stands for, and working hard in reminding us that it is our sacred responsibility to uphold the dignity, and identity of our beloved IFP.
In the last years of his life, our late Founder, HRH Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi also relied heavily on the support and guidance of Mr Mfayela.
Senzo became our extended family. But it is the Mfayela family as a collective that today, deserves praise too. It is your pain as a family that we feel deepest this morning.
The Mfayela family represent the spirit of ubunto/botho: umuntu ungumuntu ngabanye abantu. Their sacrifice and commitment to ensuring that South Africans, especially marginalised communities, have a better future is a shining example to young and old, who aspire to have a political future.
The name Mfayela carries weight. It is respected and admired. This family is not only loved and cherished by us, but they loved and cherished by many. From their beloved father, Mr DP Mfayela, who was a KwaZulu Legislative Assembly (KLA) member, to their late brother Simo Ezra Mfayela who served in local government and then in the National Assembly, to the brothers, sisters and extended family gather here, the Mfayelas have always lived their lives in the service of our nation.
We thank you. We thank you.
Mchoboza leaves behind his wife Nosisa Mfayela uKaManci, six children Nokukhanya, Lethukukhanya, Zenzele, Nompumelelo, Ntsika and Kwande and seven grandchildren. He leaves his siblings: four brothers, Zwelisha, Bongani, Bonani, Khetha and three sisters, Nombutho, Nomcebo and Minenhle.
Even when his health was failing, Mchoboza did what needed to be done. Even when he was under the weather, he soldiered on. He continued to give us his all, his wisdom, his understanding, and his support. We, as the Inkatha Freedom Party, and the people of our country, owe him a debt of gratitude.
We also owe you, the family, a debt of gratitude for allowing us to share his life, his passions and his contributions.
Mchoboza loved the IFP. He spoke truth to power every time he rose in our meetings reminding us of why we started this journey of the IFP almost 50 years ago and why we should persevere in many decades to come.
My call to all of us today is don’t just remember the great spirit and example of our fallen comrade, but let’s emulate his example of unity, service, selflessness and dedication.
Today, one of the cornerstones of the IFP’s foundation is no more. We are shaken. We are wounded. We are devasted.
Words cannot describe our grief and sorrow. But even in the midst of our pain, we thank God for Mr Mfayela’s life.
Hamba Kahle Mchoboza!
A true servant of our people.
A true warrior for justice.
A truly remarkable and humble man.
Hamba Kahle Mchoboza! We will honour your example and memory.
