Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Blogs
Blogs

South Africa’s DA Party Boldly Used Nelson Mandela’s Voice to Sway Voters from ANC, but Mandela’s Grandson is Not Having It

Posted byBy Ricky Riley | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

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.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top