After South Africa’s Democratic Alliance released a campaign ad featuring former President Nelson Mandela‘s voice Sunday, his grandson called out the party for its futile attempt to add credibility to a party that champions white privilege.
In the video, a woman is trying to decide what party to vote for on election day. As she makes her way to the polling place, African National Congress supporters harass her.
She enters a booth and is about to make her decision when the voice of Mandela speaks to her. The woman then decides to vote for the Democratic Alliance.
The DA is led by Mmusi Maimane. According to Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile, the party wants to take power in August by challenging the governing ANC.
“[Mandela’s] name can never be associated with betrayal of our struggle. The use of his voice in an attempt to lend credibility to a party that has made the preservation of white privilege its raison d’être is vile and untruthful,” said Zwelivelile. “The DA and its neo-colonial liberal agenda… represents the very anathema of what [Mandela] stood for.”
The DA stood by their decision and released a statement on the use of Mandela’s voice:
“Nelson Mandela is a national icon. As our nation’s first democratic president, his legacy, and the important democratic principles which he fought for, belong to all South Africans.”
The irony of all of this is that Mandela was a member of the ANC from 1991 to 1997, per Newsweek.
