INKATHA Youth Brigade prodigal son, S'khumbuzo Khanyeza, was welcomed back into the IFP with open arms by party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

Khanyeza was expelled from the party after he and other youth leaders led a revolt against the party leadership, calling for transformation.

In an about turn yesterday, after he (Khanyeza) had earlier "apologised and asked for forgiveness" Buthelezi announced that Khanyeza had been reinstated as the provincial leader.

Buthelezi, who was with the IFP's national executive council, said he welcomed Khanyeza's apology and that he would now retain his position.

Absent at the meeting was national chairperson Zanele Magwaza-Msibi whom Khanyeza and his renegade colleagues had previously nominated to replace Buthelezi as party leader.

Buthelezi said Khanyeza was not the only youth leader who had been forgiven. As a group of members of the youth brigade from Johannesburg had also seen the error of their ways and sought forgiveness.

Buthelezi said Hlengiwe Mthiyane, the provincial publicity secretary of the youth brigade, had "also regretted her participation and apologised" and had likewise had her apology accepted without any conditions.

He said it might seem strange, considering the amount of damage "these young people" have inflicted on the party that they were forgiven.

"But one must be impressed by the courage they have shown in coming forward to set the record straight," he said.

Khanyeza confirmed his re-acceptance into the party.

He said he had no agendas to continue "destabilising" the party from within.

"I have no intentions of making the president and the entire leadership of the party to regret having forgiven me.

"I will from now on work towards a common goal for unity," he said.