South Africa’s closest fought local election campaign has become a battle for the soul of the late Nelson Mandela.
His grandson is calling on the National Electoral Commission to force the opposition Democratic Alliance to take down an advertisement, using the anti-apartheid icon’s voice, saying in the current climate Mandela would have voted for them.
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Zwelivilile Mandla Mandela says his grandfather shouldn’t be affiliated with the betrayal of the ANC’s struggle against apartheid.
Mandela’s grandson’s demanding the DA take down an advertisement featuring Madiba’s voice – calling it a gross violation of the electoral code.
He says the ANC is disgusted by what he calls the flagrant abuse of the former president by the DA.
He says throughout his life and until his death, Mandela was a loyal and committed member of the ANC.
Associating him with the DA is an affront to his history, his choice of party, his legacy and values for which he stood.
If the DA wants to invoke history in its election campaign it should use the voice of its former and current leaders – adding that this leadership has provided the laager of white privilege since the onset of democracy in 1994.
The DA’s spokesperson Refiloe Ntsekhe says Nelson Mandela belongs to everyone.
The DA is reminding South Africa of what Mandela preached.