The family of former South Africa President Nelson Mandela criticized the country’s main political opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA), for using the voice of the Nobel Laureate in a television advertisement as part of their campaign ahead of the local elections in August.
Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela who also doubles as a key figure of the main party Africa National Congress (ANC), described the ad as a move by the opposition party to usurp the moral stature of Nelson Mandela.
The controversial ad, which was released on YouTube, depicts an undecided female voter who — torn between voting for either the ruling ANC or the DA — finally resolves to vote for the opposition party upon remembering Mandela’s words, “Let there be justice for all, let there be peace, let there be work, let there be bread for all.”
Watch the ad here:
Reacting to calls for the withdrawal of the ad, DA spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe maintains that her party will not pull down the ad since no electoral code was violated.
“We don’t think we’re abusing Mandela’s legacy; we think we’re honoring it. This is about saying that his legacy must live on, and if others have forgotten what it’s about, we will take that baton and move forward,” Nt’sekhe said.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission, when asked whether investigations would be conducted in to the ad, is reported to have refused commenting on the development.
