'The only thing he nationalised was his face on banknotes': Ndlozi on Nelson Mandela's legacy

12 February 2021 - 07:30
By unathi nkanjeni AND Unathi Nkanjeni
 EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi says the only thing late former president Nelson Mandela nationalised 'was his face on coins and banknotes'.
Image: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi says the only thing late former president Nelson Mandela nationalised 'was his face on coins and banknotes'.

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has again got tongues wagging for his strong opinions about former president Nelson Mandela, saying the only thing Mandela nationalised “was his face on coins and banknotes”

Ndlozi went on a tirade about Mandela on the 31st anniversary of the former president's release from prison on Thursday.

He said the only thing that many people can point at is that Mandela was the first black president but there was “nothing to show for our freedom”. 

“Today, Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 after spending 27 years. The only thing we can point at is that he became the first black president,” he said.

“Other than that, there’s nothing to show for our freedom. Black people remain landless — 27 years after Mandela’s democracy.”

According to Ndlozi, after Mandela's presidency, the only thing nationalised was his face on SA's coins and banknotes.

“On this day Mandela told our people that nationalisation of banks and mines was key to our freedom. They made him president! But after his presidency, the only thing nationalised was his face on coins and banknotes,” he said.

This is not the first time Ndlozi has publicly blasted the late former president.

Late last year, Ndlozi questioned Mandela's legacy, saying he wasted 27 years that “resulted in an empty reconciliation deal”.

“I think the truly wasted years are the 27 years that resulted in an empty reconciliation deal. In Mandela’s memory, blacks are silenced in the false hope to appeal to the morality of whites. It will be 27 years next, that morality is nowhere,” Ndlozi said at the time.

His latest statement drew mixed reactions, with many saying Ndlozi was “obsessed” with trying to find flaws in Mandela's legacy.

Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions: