We will not be dictated to’ - Nelson Mandela’s grandson says in response to Trump tweet

23 August 2018 - 19:45 By Nico Gous
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
The grandson of former President Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela lashed out at US president Donald Trump for his comments on expropriation of land without compensation
The grandson of former President Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela lashed out at US president Donald Trump for his comments on expropriation of land without compensation
Image: Via Instagram/@nkosizwelivelile

President Donald Trump’s tweet on farm killings and land expropriation without compensation in South Africa “smacks of arrogance and ignorance”.

That is what former president Nelson Mandela’s grandson‚ Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela‚ said in a statement on Thursday.

“President Donald Trump’s unfortunate tweet shows disrespect for South Africa’s sovereignty and our commitment to justice and redress. Once again‚ the United States leadership is on the wrong side of history and‚ like his predecessor President Ronald Reagan who openly supported the brutal apartheid regime‚ Trump chooses to be prescriptive by putting the parochial interest of the minority who benefited from the heinous apartheid system above those of the majority of South Africa’s populace‚” Mandela said.

Trump land expropriation tweet smacks of arrogance and ignorance!!! Cape Town: – South Africa is a Constitutional democracy that places a high degree of value on our participatory approach and restitution of historic evils of the past perpetrated by the apartheid regime. President Donald Trump’s unfortunate tweet shows disrespect for South Africa’s sovereignty and our commitment to justice and redress. Once again, the USA leadership is on the wrong side of history and, like his predecessor President Ronald Raegan who openly supported the brutal apartheid regime, Trump chooses to be prescriptive by putting the parochial interest of the minority who benefitted from the heinous apartheid system above those of the majority of South Africa’s populace. It is unfortunate the Trump is acting in this way. He would be better served by dealing with his own domestic challenges and the fundamental issues that the “Black Lives Matter” campaign raises. We must tell him that we don’t need his interference in our domestic affairs and that the issue of the return on the land is an extremely sensitive issue as our people were robbed of the land over three centuries of colonial land grabs and six decades of apartheid. We remain committed to find a lasting and just solution and we will bring an end to land poverty just as we brought a peaceful end to apartheid. The commemoration of the Nelson Mandela Centennial Celebration Year (1918-2018) highlights how far we have come as a nation and it is built into our collective psyche as a nascent democracy to resolve our challenges through dialogue and processes that are just and fair. We will not be dictated to by any external force as all our citizens have full recourse to the legal process and challenging any decision by government at the highest level even our constitutional court. Trump once again demonstrates a total ignorance of reality. We will not be dictated to, threatened or pressured into accepting a land deal that perpetuates the injustices of the past. The same Trump that wants to dictate to South Africa what to do about the land question, has no scruples in legitimising the land grabs in occupied Palestine...

A post shared by Nkosi Zwelivelile (@nkosizwelivelile) on

Trump tweeted in the early hours of Thursday morning: “I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. ‘South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.’ @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews”

Mandela believes Trump should focus on his domestic challenges instead.

“We must tell him that we don’t need his interference in our domestic affairs and that the issue of the return on the land is an extremely sensitive issue as our people were robbed of the land over three centuries of colonial land grabs and six decades of apartheid.”

He added: “Trump once again demonstrates a total ignorance of reality. We will not be dictated to‚ threatened or pressured into accepting a land deal that perpetuates the injustices of the past. The same Trump that wants to dictate to South Africa what to do about the land question‚ has no scruples in legitimising the land grabs in occupied Palestine and affirming Jerusalem as the capital city of Apartheid Israel despite its status under international law.

“Such is the arrogance of the man and the duplicity that we have come to expect of him.”

South Africans came out guns blazing on Twitter after US president Donald Trump sent out a tweet early on Thursday August 23 2018 claiming that white farmers were being murdered for their land in South Africa.


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now