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Ahead of his Special Official Funeral Category 2 tomorrow, the IFP takes this opportunity to send our deepest condolences to the Bengu and ANC family at large, following the passing of Professor Sibusiso Bengu.

Your loss, is indeed our loss.

The news of the passing of Prof Bengu was received with a deep sense of sorrow, as he was not only a nonegagenarian of immense knowledge, but a stalwart of the IFP who served as the first IFP Secretary-General from 1975 - 1978.

His passing comes at a time when the IFP will be celebrating 50 years of its existence in March, and we will fondly remember his role in shaping the robust IFP of today.

At the very beginning of the IFP’s political life, Professor Bengu invested immensely in giving our party character, especially our focus on linking the struggle for liberation to education and development. He led a formidable team of academics who contributed to our vision of “education for liberation”.

We will always remember Prof Bengu as a struggle icon, the architect of our new democratic education system and an academic.

As the founder and first Principal of Dlangezwa High School in 1969, he contributed vastly to shaping thousands of successful and refined young men and women and equipping them with knowledge.

To underscore this, the school he founded was described by our late Founder HRH Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi in 2019, as "a place of high achievement and excellence; a lighthouse in a very troubled sea.”

There is no doubt that in his role as the first post-apartheid Basic Education Minister, he was a pioneer. He worked tirelessly to build an inclusive education system. 

Considering the injustices of the apartheid education system, Prof Bengu’s ability to build an integrated education system that would build and shape all of South Africa’s children, was no small feat. 

In his role as the ambassador to Germany, he contributed in laying the foundation of the strong relationship our two countries enjoy today.

The IFP will remember Prof Bengu as a stalwart, patriot, a dedicated public servant, and a nation-builder. A leader, who served his country with utter dedication, dignity and integrity.

We owe him a debt of gratitude for his service. And we thank God for his life.

The IFP will keep his family and friends - but in particular his wife, daughters, son and grandchildren - in our thoughts and prayers.

May his soul rest in peace. His enduring legacy lives on and will be remembered for generations to come.

Issued by IFP President Velenkosini Hlabisa