The late AmaZulu traditional prime minister and IFP founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a man with a love for cashmere.
Durban tailor Janak Parekh‚ the man who designed Buthelezi's Indian-inspired black suit with gold embroidery for his 90th birthday celebration, said Buthelezi was one of his favourite clients.
“I will remember him as somebody I could confide in. He was the only person that I could confide in, and I knew that the matter would not be leaked,” he said.
Parekh was paying tribute to his long-time client and friend after Buthelezi died last Saturday at the age of 95. He was laid to rest yesterday in Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The 68-year-old designed the sought-after suits and tailors stitched them together in India.
The suit Buthelezi wore at his 90th birthday party was made by five workers and took five months to complete. Buthelezi specifically wanted it to have gold embroidery.
“The first person I designed a suit for in South Africa was Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi in 1992,” said Parekh.
The former car-parts salesman got his start in the rag trade through a chance encounter with the late prince.
Two years after arriving in South Africa from his native India, he was introduced to Buthelezi’s uncle, Prince Gideon Zulu.
“Prince Gideon Zulu was suffering from arthritis, and at that time I had some traditional medicine from India that cures arthritis. When it cured him, he took me to Buthelezi, and that is how I was introduced to him.”
Among his elite clientele are former presidents Jacob Zuma, Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela, the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, King Mswati III and ambassador S'bu Ndebele.
So sought-after are his designs that Parekh received an unexpected phone call from former health minister Zweli Mkhize on the eve of Buthelezi's funeral asking him to assist him with an outfit for the service.
Among Buthelezi's favourite designs were Indian-inspired suits. “At first, I just designed plain suits for him, but he was very particular about the fabric. He loved cashmere imported from India.”
At first, I just designed plain suits for him, but he was very particular about the fabric. He loved cashmere imported from India
— Durban tailor Janak Parekh
Parekh recalled how Buthelezi would offer him food when he visited KwaPhindangene palace in Ulundi.
“He would [ask] me to stay over [at] KwaPhindangene ... When we did the fittings for the suits, sometimes we would meet at his house [or the] Garden Court in Ulundi, and very often he came to my flat here in Durban.”
In most cases, Buthelezi's bodyguards waited outside while he and Parekh worked.
“He wasn't afraid to undress, [and] often he would use one of the rooms to change. He always liked my suits.”
Parekh's suits are sold for anything between R5,000 and R400,000, depending on the embroidery and fabric.
“The most he paid was about R9,000. I have made suits for different people, and the price has gone up to R400,000. I once designed a suit for one of the sheikhs in the Middle East who wanted diamonds encrusted on the buttons.”
Buthelezi wasn't a difficult client, he said.
“We had a good understanding, and I always knew what he liked. I made no less than 40 suits for him.”
Parekh said Buthelezi’s 90th soirée would remain etched in his memory. “Just two days before the birthday, I had gone to KwaPhindangene and offered him the famous black suit with gold embroidery.
“There was no price tag for it because it was a gift from my family, but at the time a journalist concluded that the suit had cost R90,000 because it was his 90th. The suit was worth more than R90,000.”
Parekh said Buthelezi returned the suit because he was uncomfortable with the media reports. “He mentioned that, as a parliamentarian, if [he received] a gift [of] more than R1,000, it should be declared, otherwise it would be seen as a bribe.”
Buthelezi said he did not want the suit to gather dust in his wardrobe, and that he would prefer to see someone else wear it to defray the cost of making it.
“He was a principled man,” Parekh said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.