OPEN LETTER TO NELSON MANDELA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Dear Mr. Nelson Mandela
We, the Africanists, used to regard you as an unselfish and modest man al beit cautiously; however political developments concerning name changes, amongst other issues, confirmed our worst fears – that you are not what you claim and is projected to be by the media. We therefore formally wish to record total vote of no confidence in you for reasons following hereunder.

Dear Mr. Mandela,

We, the Africanists, used to regard you as an unselfish and modest man al beit cautiously; however political developments concerning name changes, amongst other issues, confirmed our worst fears – that you are not what you claim and is projected to be by the media. We therefore formally wish to record total vote of no confidence in you for reasons following hereunder.
 
At the time when you were supposed to display political maturity and modesty you, together with your political cahoots in government, failed to recognize and acknowledge milestone contributions made by other freedom fighters like Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko, Zephaniah Mothopeng, Nyati Pokela, Sabelo Phama, Onkogopotse Tiro, Professor Eskia Mphahlele, Tsietsi Mashinini, Anton Limbede, Japhta Masemola, Muntu Myeza, Dr Riberio, to name but a few.
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The process of honouring heroes and heroines need not be confined to Azania, but should go beyond the artificial colonialist borders to acknowledge selfless contributions against colonialism, settler colonialism, apartheid, imperialism and neo-colonialism across the continent and the Diaspora. Pan Africanist leaders like Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Cheik Anta Diop, Lumumba, Dr WEB Bois, Gamal Abdul Nasser and many others deserve to be honoured by renaming monumental structures like National Roads, Towns, Cities, Universities, Municipalities, Airports and Government buildings after them.

It seems, Mr. Mandela you are pleased and content with the current egoistic situation where everything is named after yourself while other freedom fighters are ignored as though they never existed. The African National Congress culture of elevating and hero-worshipping individuals over and above the revolution itself is not revolutionary and is actually tantamount to retrogressive politics of personality cult. Your own contribution to the struggle has been overrated by the ANC and the liberal South African media to the detriment of many revolutionaries who served the masses of our people with distinction.

Revolutionaries worldwide are in agreement that the highest price to pay in a revolution is to sacrifice one’s life. Many people who paid for our liberation with their dear lives have been forgotten and their families left to suffer in abject poverty. Their efforts and sacrifices are insulted by ANC government which continues to oppose reparation lawsuits by victims of apartheid settler colonial regime against colluding multinational companies whereas the elite and petty bourgeois class members of the ANC enjoy the fruits of sacrifices made by martyrs of our struggle for liberation whose families must be adequately compensated.

The ANC government, since your presidency of the country, ironically and unashamedly inherited and is sustaining apartheid settler colonialist war machinery against the African masses. You are busy derecognizing and writing-off history, significant names of freedom fighters while in the same vein keeping and maintaining apartheid monuments, statues and other undesirable symbols.

When a proposal was first made by Africanists members of Ekurhuleni Municipal community to rename Jan Smuts Airport after Robert Sobukwe, it was the ANC which vehemently opposed this suggestion. Three years later the ANC decided to name it OR Tambo International Airport. Another proposal was made by PASMA to rename University of Fort Hare after Robert Sobukwe; again this proposal was rejected by the ANC.

We were extremely exasperated by your decision to accept naming of University of Natal’s Medical School after you, when you have no relationship with the institution. In fact you stole the honour and glory of Steve Biko who studied there and was highly involved in student politics at the university. We expected you to rise above petty party differences, arrogance, self interest, and greed. It would have been responsible for you to humble yourself, advice and pressure the institution to give honour to Steve Biko.

The question that continues to boggle our minds is what sins Sobukwe, Biko, Mothopeng and many other freedom fighters committed against you? It is very cruel and unjust to Sobukwe who was apartheid settler colonial regime No. 1 enemy and who suffered so much torture in the hands of the regime to be subjected to another torture of marginalization in the hands of a government that claims to be representing the interests of the African masses.

In respect of the national anthem which you bastardized, we have a resolute position; we don’t respect it. Every time it is sung anywhere we just walk out. We promise not to ever insult Enoch Sontonga and our forefathers who crafted our only legitimate National Anthem, Nkosi Sikelele I-Africa. It is quite amazing that you are prepared to go all out to appease and honour white settlers to the detriment of freedom fighters and vast majority of the African masses.

CO-AUTHORED BY LINDA NDEBELE (PAYCO SECRETARY GENERAL)

AND BATHO MAKHUBO (A FELLOW AFRICANIST)

10 thoughts on “OPEN LETTER TO NELSON MANDELA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

  1. I am realy impressed by your creativity. Leaders who contributed emensely in the struggle are not recognised. If they are to be named, their names are in some back streets of not so famous townships and if the name plate get damged, it will never be replaced. This is done in order to distort history.

    We are tired of driving on Nelson Mandela street in every town of Azania. WHERE ARE THE HEROES OF AZANIA, THE HEROES OF THIS LAND.

  2. on this issue the blame should not only be put on Mandela but on the ANC. I thank other struggle heros and heroines were tragically ignored.

  3. this is the truth that our black people are diprived off . the anc has made the hole lebaration about its self how many books are writern about orther fredom firghter biside mandela and mr gov mbeki. we as blacks we will never be free till the so called leaders acnowlage the truth about our strugle history as they say you must know were you come from in order to know were you going.

  4. PLS AFRICAN SHOW THE ANC THE WAY , AS U CAN SEE ALL ANC LEADERS ARE CURSED BY GOD AND ANCESTORS BEACOSE OF THEIR GREEDINESS OF POWER.MOST OF THEM HAVE CASES OF CORRUPTION.HOW CAN U PRAISE OPPRESSOSRS THAN YOUR FELLOW COMBRADES WHO SACREFIES THEIR LIFE FOR US .WHY, ANC WHY.

  5. i am surprised if they say leaders were not acknowledge in Tshwane we have ezekia Mphahlele Street

    1. sorry cadre that is the only street u called after the cadress of the liberation when ever we revise our struggle only ANC is mentioned has the only party liberated for freedom and another thing Mandela stop misleading the infants of Azania teaching them that you are the only man who fought for the democratic political freedom of Azania.while the boers just took our land and gave it to a wrong selfish man(you are the only one who can give true reveal dat you didnt fight for the hounor you are getting)

      1. The ‘ANC’ betrayed the Afrikans of Azania by giving away the land to the Europeans (Jews and Gentiles) and Indians under the infamous and mis-named ‘Freedom Charter’ which was written by the Europeans.Only Mandela is lionised and praised by the Europeans because he was and is one of the architects of the traitorous betrayal.The PAC,BCM,Mangaliso Sobukwe,Sabelo Phama,APLA,Uncle Zeph Mothopeng,Jeptha Masemola,Pokela,Steve Biko and other freedom fighters are not publicised and honoured by having streets and other places named after them because they did not sell out the land of the Afrikans in Azania.MARCUS GARVEY said AFRIKA FOR THE AFRIKANS,FOR THOSE AT HOME AND ABROAD.WE MUST RETAKE AZANIA AND THE REST OF OUR AFRIKAN MOTHERLAND FROM THE EUROPEANS AND THE ARABS.

        MANDINGO

        ________________________________

  6. The ANC is all about protecting the racist settler invaders in Azania and in return they the mis-leadership get houses,money and the Nobel ‘Peace’ prize for selling out Afrikans and our land in Azania.The PAC,AZAPO and BCM etc must fight to correct these crimes against our people.

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