[2][3] He is a member of the country's ruling party, the African National Congress.
[5] In 1981, at the age of 20, Buthelezi joined uMkhonto we Sizwe, the former paramilitary wing of the African National Congress.
[11] That same year, then president Thabo Mbeki appointed him as the founding chairperson of the National Gambling Board.
[12] In 2005, Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe appointed Buthelezi to the board of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC), later renamed the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), with Buthelezi serving as the first chairperson of PRASA from 2009 to 2014.
[14] After Zuma resigned as President on 14 February 2018, his successor Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet, moving Buthelezi to the position of Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.