The great-grandson of the late Nelson Mandela, Mayibuye Mandela, has said the Palestinian people need to be armed by South Africa in order for them to attain freedom.
In an interview with RT, Mandela said as long as protests are happening in South Africa against the occupation, it is mere “rhetoric.”
“As long as we are not providing resources for the Palestinian people to free themselves, it’s still rhetoric,” adding: “The Palestinian people need to be armed by South Africa; Hamas needs to be armed by South Africa.”
Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Wednesday morning, and many others were injured, as a result of a series of raids carried out by Israeli warplanes in several areas of the besieged Gaza Strip.https://t.co/jkGR5TWOZQ pic.twitter.com/uihUj6OXTK
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 15, 2023
Mayibuye Mandela said that South Africans know all too well what oppression is, and that during the struggle for liberation, the military wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), “was armed by the international world and it was deemed a terrorist organization, and banned.”
Yet, they were fighting for the freedom we have today, he added.
Various trade sanctions by at least 25 countries along with sports boycotts and other campaigns, eventually led apartheid South Africa to be isolated from the rest of the world.
Mandela also stressed that “Israel must be sanctioned.”
“Their embassies must be removed. The food on the shelves, if they come from Israel, must be removed.”
The Palestinian land needs “to be returned to the Palestinian people, to its rightful owners,” according to Mayibuye Mandela.
However, it is up to the Palestinians to decide on the future of a Palestinian state.
Warga Palestin Perlu Bersenjata Mempertahankan Diri – Mandela
Mayibuye Mandela menegaskan bahawa warga Palestin dan Hamas mestilah melindungi diri mereka, dan mereka “perlulah diberikan senjata”.https://t.co/o0MO3IqOap
— Samudera.my (@MySamudera) November 15, 2023
The South African government recently recalled all its diplomatic staff from Tel Aviv, and issued a demarche to the Israeli ambassador to the country, citing statements he made about South Africans’ support for Palestinians.
A debate will take place in the South African parliament on Thursday to decide whether the Israeli embassy should be closed as well as whether the government should suspend all diplomatic relations with the country.
South Africa has not had an ambassador in Israel since 2018.
(PC, RT)
