Why is Mandela’s Granddaughter Abandoning the ANC?
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to South Africa’s streets demanding President Jacob Zuma step down, as his party’s membership plummets. Has the African National Congress (ANC), once led by freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, who then became South Africa’s first democratically elected president, lost its way? “I saw firsthand the abject poverty of the people in […]
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to South Africa’s streets demanding President Jacob Zuma step down, as his party’s membership plummets. Has the African National Congress (ANC), once led by freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, who then became South Africa’s first democratically elected president, lost its way?
“I saw firsthand the abject poverty of the people in the rural areas and what they suffer,” says Ndileka Mandela, the eldest granddaughter of Nelson Mandela. “The leadership, the leader, must go back to the basic tenets of the ANC, the basic tenets of the Freedom Charter.
“That is why we are calling the ANC to account, to embody the values and legacies of our founding fathers.”
In the below special interview with Al Jazeera, UpFront spoke to Ndileka Mandela on why she’s decided to speak up against the current leadership of her grandfather’s party.