‘Mandela is not a product of the ANC’: Mashaba slams ANC for its advert

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has accused the ANC of abusing Nelson Mandela’s legacy to gain votes.

ANC uses Mandela footage in ad

Mashaba was reacting to an ANC campaign advert circulating on social media in which Mandela’s face and voice is used in the advert.

Watch the ANC advert here:

The ruling party has pulled out some of their big names for this year’s election campaign with prominent ANC figures such as Thabo Mbeki and Tokyo Sexwale going into communities to campaign.

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In the advert, President Cyril Ramaphosa can be heard saying: “South Africans, it’s been 30 years since we took our first step to freedom. Since then, as South Africans, we have restored our people’s dignity, together we have made progress in meeting the basic needs of our people, millions more people have access to housing, water, sanitation, energy, communication, education and an improving social security system.”

The ad also uses old footage of Mandela as South Africa’s democratic era began.

Mashaba said he was not surprised that the ANC would appeal to the Mandela legacy to help them gain votes.

“The Mandela legacy applies to all of us as South Africans, not just the ANC, because Nelson Mandela is not a product of the ANC, he is a product of this country. All the presidents who came after Mandela have been a total disaster… for them to use the Mandela legacy as a platform its not going to work,” he said.

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Mashaba said ordinary South Africans don’t experience what Ramaphosa describes.

“For them to use the Mandela legacy, its not going to work. The lived experience of South Africans is different to what is in the advert,” Mashaba said.

Controversial DA advert

Meanwhile, Mashaba also took a swipe at the DA for its advert depicting a burning South African flag.

He described the advert as ill advised and fear mongering.

ALSO READ: ‘In some countries, it’s a crime to burn the flag,’ says Thuli Madonsela on DA election ad

“The DA fails to understand that there is a difference between the ANC and South Africa. For them to attack the country instead of the ANC, I think that is where they are failing to see sense,” he said.

Mashaba said the advert was divisive and aimed at causing panic in the white community.

“In the meantime, they are alienating the black community and that is something they keep doing,” he said.