Alwaght-The grandson of South African freedom icon, Nelson Mandela, has urged the government to sever ties with Israeli regime.
Mandla Mandela, who is a member of parliament for the ruling African National Congress (ANC), on Sunday urged ANC caucus in legislature to pressure the government to dismiss Israeli ambassador from the country, and recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv as well as cut all diplomatic and other ties.
“History calls upon us to take similar measures to those taken by freedom, justice and peace loving communities that supported the global anti-apartheid movement against the brutal and illegitimate South African regime,” he said.
Mandla Mandela was reacting to a decision made by a group of ANC lawmakers to turn down an Israeli delegation’s request to meet.
“Parliament has stayed true to Nelson Mandela’s commitment to stand by the Palestinian cause until Palestine is free,’’ Mandla said in a statement.
Parliamentarians from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) have turned down a request to meet an Israeli delegation, a party spokeswoman told Anadolu Agency Sunday.
“There was a planned visit by an Israeli delegation, but ANC MPs rejected it,” ANC’s parliamentary caucus spokeswoman Nonceba Mhlauli said via telephone.
She said the MPs decided the delegation should not visit the parliament and if it did, they would not participate in the meeting.
The ANC has the majority in parliament with 249 seats out of 400-seat assembly.
Mhlauli said she was not aware if the decision had been communicated to the Israeli delegation that was planning to visit this month.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) also welcomed the decision.
“COSATU joins solidarity organizations, human rights bodies and other groups in welcoming the decision by the parliament of South Africa to turn down a request to meet with a visiting delegation from Israel,” the group said in a statement. Majority of South Africans support the Palestinian cause because they believe what is happening to Palestinians is similar to what they went through during the apartheid era.
Revolutionary anti-apartheid crusader the late Nelson Mandela in a famous quote stated that, 'We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.'
