Mandla Mandela vows to continue Palestinian support after UK decline visa
Mandla Mandela said on Friday he was not surprised by the British government's decision to deny him visa to enter the UK.
Mandela, who is the sitting chief of the Mveso Traditional council, was refused a visa due to his support for Hamas in the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
Mandela could not travel to the UK earlier this month to address pro-Palestinian gatherings in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow after he was informed that he would need a visa, despite holding a South African government passport that would ordinarily allow him visa-free entry.
The former ANC MP, who is also former president Nelson Mandela's grandson, said he will continue to campaign in solidarity with Palestine.
"It comes as no surprise to us that these are the same agents that supported the apartheid regime in South Africa. Because the [former UK Prime Minister] Margaret Thatcher administration, as well as the [former US President] Ronald Reagan administration, supported the apartheid regime in South Africa.
"And they have continued throughout history, being on the wrong side of history. And therefore, for us, having come out of 350 years of colonialism, as well as a brutal apartheid regime.
"They know very well that we will continue to be the voice of the voiceless and will continue to speak for the most oppressed and most vulnerable around the globe," he said.
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