Power Struggle in Zulu hierarchy

A heated dispute between Mangosutho Buthelezi, Minister of Home Affairs and leader of Inkatha Freedom Party, and his nephew King Goodwill Zwelithini, escalated during Shaka Zulu celebrations, raising fears of renewed violence in the region between the supporters of the two leaders. President Nelson Mandela was drawn into the conflict when he was invited as a guest of honour during the celebrations of day. Buthelezi appears to have been threatened by reports that the King was planning to replace him with a new advisor, Prince Mcwayizeni Israel Zulu, a member of the National Executive Council in the African National Congress (ANC). Matters came to head when Zwelithini issued a statement rejecting Buthelezi as an advisor and cancelling the Shaka Day, which is the prerogative of the King. South African National Defence Force troops were dispatched to Nongoma, to protect the king amid reported fears for his personal safety. Realising that tension was brewing within the Royal family, Zwelithini was transported by a military helicopter to Johannesburg for his safety. Mandela tried to talk to the two leaders but with nothing concrete coming out of their meetings. Buthelezi defied the king's orders and went ahead with the celebration, and addressed 10 000 supporters at Stagger, 150 km South of Nongoma, the site of King Shaka's burial. The matter between the two leaders took a bizarre turn, when Buthelezi and his bodyguards stormed South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) during a live coverage and had a brawl with Prince Sifiso Zulu, a member of King Zwelithini Royal family, who was being interviewed. The ANC demanded a full investigation; whilst the South African Communist Party (SACP) and National Party (NP) issued a statement condemning Buthelezi for acting childishly. After a personal rebuke from Mandela, Buthelezi offered his apology to the Royal family, cabinet, and the Nation.