Outgoing Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi sought to downplay his stepping down from the helm after 44 years in power, saying this was not a big deal and that the party was bigger than him.

The IFP is the fourth largest party in Parliament after growing its support to 3.38% during the May 8 election, thus landing itself 14 seats in the National Assembly.

It also dislodged the DA as the official opposition in its stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where it received 14.58% of the votes, equating to six seats in the provincial legislature.

Buthelezi, who turns 91 on Tuesday and is the oldest-serving MP in Parliament, has been at IFP leader since its inception in Ulundi, KZN, on March 21, 1975.

In his welcoming remarks at the IFP national elective conference in Ulundi on Friday night, Mangosuthu described the conference as “different” and a “watershed moment” for the organisation.

“[This conference] has been accompanied by unprecedented hype and speculation. Because in this conference, Buthelezi will step down,” he said, adding “this moment was planned a long time ago”.