The family of the late Nelson Mandela are die moer in after the Democratic Alliance used the voice of Madiba in an election campaign advert.
The former president’s grandson and ANC member, Mandla Mandela, condemned the use of his oupa’s voice in the advert.
He says instead of trying to dupe people, the DA should rather be using the voices of its own leaders Tony Leon, Helen Zille, and Mmusi Maimane.
The advert is about a mother on her way to the voting station.
Riding in a taxi, she “considers” her options, thinking of employment and opportunities for her son.
Walking to the station, she passes ANC members, shouting at her to vote for them.
It is as she decides where to put her cross that she hears Madiba’s voice saying: “Let there be justice for all, let there be peace, let there be work, let there be bread for all.”
Mandla said using Madiba’s voice was a “flagrant abuse”, “vile and untruthful”, and “an insult and affront to his history, his party of choice, his legacy and the values for which he stood”.
“uNkosi Dalibhunga was throughout his life, until his death - by profession, and in the hereafter - a loyal and committed member of the ANC,” he said.
But DA national spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe says: “Nelson Mandela is a national icon.”
“As our nation’s first democratic president, his legacy, and the important democratic principles which he fought for, belong to all South Africans.”