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Buthelezi was born in eastern Natal, where he grew up hearing tales of an ancestor, the warrior king Shaka, who established the Zulu empire in the mid- 19th century. He earned a degree in history and African administration at the black University of Fort Hare. Married and the father of seven children, he is devoted to classical music, the study of history and his Anglican faith. The well-traveled Buthelezi is equally comfortable in the skins, feathers and beads of his Zulu forebears and in dark, well-cut business suits. His prestige is such that he has conferred with Pope John Paul II, President Reagan, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and other world leaders.
Even his bitterest critics acknowledge that Buthelezi's antiapartheid credentials are solid and long-standing. As a student, he joined the A.N.C., the now outlawed black-liberation organization, and served as a lieutenant to its late leader, Albert Luthuli. One of Buthelezi's closest friends at the time was Nelson Mandela, the incarcerated A.N.C. leader who has refused to renounce violence until blacks are granted full political rights. The two men have kept in touch through letters during the 24 years of Mandela's imprisonment. The Zulu leader has repeatedly called for Mandela's release and the lifting of the A.N.C. ban as prerequisites for meaningful negotiation between blacks and the government.
Buthelezi rejected the 1984 constitution that created a tricameral Parliament, which excluded black representation. He is critical of the government's failure to institute reforms more quickly. "We are moving in the right direction," he says. "But whatever progress has been made is not enough. The fundamental issue of power sharing at the center has not been addressed."
Until the mid-'70s, Buthelezi was considered an ally by A.N.C. militants, but his refusal to turn Inkatha into a "surrogate liberation network" for the A.N.C. angered its exile leadership. He insists that "real A.N.C." leaders like Mandela will probably agree with his approach. Last week he proposed that he be allowed to visit Mandela in prison and clear up the lingering confusion over their relationship. Says Buthelezi: "I long for the day when Mandela and others can stand on the same platform as I and present the people with alternatives."