DA will not waiver on its commitment to honouring Madiba’s vision

Issued by Solly Malatsi – DA National Spokesperson
30 Apr 2019 in News

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes comments by Mandla Mandela related to the DA’s latest election billboard which calls on South African to honour Nelson Mandela’s vision to build One South Africa for All, by voting DA.

As a party, we are inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela and are constantly emboldened by what he stood for – a nonracial, democratic South Africa underpinned by values of freedom, fairness, opportunity and diversity.

While it is undeniable that Mandela was an ANC icon, he was also the father of the Nation who worked tirelessly to make our country a better place and left behind a conciliatory legacy and devotion to democracy.

Nelson Mandela started a project of nation building underpinned by non-racialism which has been abandoned by the current ANC. The DA is the only political party that still espouses the values of reconciliation and building One South Africa for All, as envisioned by Madiba

We do not agree with the Mandla Mandela’s claim that the use of Nelson Mandela’s name is opportunistic. We firmly believe that ordinary South Africans need to be reminded of the democratic principle that our forebears embraced, especially at this time when there are populist forces that seek to divide us along racial lines.

There are parties who mobilise around race such as Mandla Mandela’s ANC. The DA is not such a party. We are the most diverse political party in South Africa, comprising people of all ages and races.

This reflects our commitment to building one South Africa for all and our conviction that we as South Africans are better together.

The DA will not waiver on our commitment to honour Nelson Mandela by continuing where he left off in building One South Africa for all.