Palestinians should be armed to protect themselves – Mayibuye Melisizwe Mandela

Correction: It has come to RT’s attention that Mayibuye Melisizwe Mandela, reported to have been Nelson Mandela’s great-grandson is in fact the great-grandson of the former South African president’s sister, Baliwe Nancy Mandela.

RT would like to apologize to Mr. Mandela’s family for the error, and to our audience for misrepresenting the identity of a contributor.

The article has been edited to reflect the above.

Mayibuye Melisizwe Mandela, a South African political activist and great grandson of Nelson Mandela's sister, Baliwe Nancy Mandela, spoke to RT about the late anti-apartheid leader, while calling for support for the Palestinian people.

He noted that Nelson Mandela had expressed his deep gratitude for the unwavering support of the Palestinians, who stood in solidarity with him during the dark days of apartheid in South Africa.

Speaking to RT in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, Mayibuye said it appears to him that Israel can do whatever it wants with impunity.

“It seems that Israel is being given almost a carte blanche to do whatever it is. And I don’t blame America, they’ve always been on the wrong side of history,” he said, adding that the US has a powerful media which is “funded by the most powerful propagandists.” He compared the Israel-Hamas war with apartheid, claiming that the US had sent CIA agents to arrest Nelson Mandela, and “international forces sponsored what was happening.”

South Africa has imposed sanctions on Israel and “calls for peace to support Palestine,” he said. “Israel’s embassies must be removed. The food on the shelves, if they come from Israel, must be removed. We must sanction Israel.”

The Palestinians and Hamas must defend themselves, and “need to be armed” by South Africa, Mayibuye said. 

He stressed that South Africa does not have any problem with the Jewish people. “We have the problem with the Zionists who are oppressing the Palestinian people, killing the children of Gaza and pregnant women,” he stated, adding that during apartheid in South Africa, there were white people who fought against the oppressors – “against their own skin color.”

Mayibuye said the “ideal situation would be a two-state solution.”