A war of words has broken out between South Africa’s official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and the family of former President NelsonMandela who have objected to the party using his voice in an election advertisement.
Members of the Mandela family, who fiercely guard the former world statesman’s legacy, have accused the party of abusing his name and are demanding that the party immediately withdraw its online commercial. It includes excerpts of Mandela’s recordings, calling for peace and justice.
Family spokesman Mandla Mandela said the use of his grandfather’s voice is an attempt to lend credibility to a party that has made the preservation of white privilege its reason to exist. Furthermore, he said the association of Mandela’s name with the party is “an affront to his history, his party of choice, his legacy and the values for which he stood”.
However, the DA claims the Nobel Laureate would have voted for it if he was still alive. South Africa is gearing for the hotly contested local government elections in August with the DA challenging the ruling African National Congress in several key areas.
