Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former South African President Nelson Mandela, has publicly criticised the British government’s decision to deny him a visa.
The former Member of the National Assembly in South Africa had planned to attend several pro-Palestine speaking engagements in major British cities, including Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, where due to raise awareness of the ongoing Palestinian struggle.
However, he was forced to cancel his trip to the UK after failing to obtain his visa, thwarting his intentions to participate in the discussions on the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Mandela has long championed the rights of oppressed peoples, including the Palestinians. His outspoken condemnation of Israel as an apartheid regime and the ongoing violence in Gaza have made him a target of the British government.
In a letter informing him of the visa denial, the UK Home Office explained that future applications from him would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
They cited Mandela’s vocal support for Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the British government, as the reason for the refusal. The letter referred to his social media posts encouraging support for Hamas and highlighting wider Palestinian resistance to perceived oppression.
In addition, the Home Office expressed concern that his visit could escalate tensions within the British Jewish community due to his pro-Hamas statements and support for Hezbollah.
“It is noted that you have visited the UK on at least three previous occasions in 2021, 2019, and 2018, and these visits did not appear to generate community tensions. However, it is noted that the majority of the concerning statements you have made have been on or after October 7, 2023, and therefore following your last visit to the UK in 2021,” reads the UK Home Office statement.
“For these reasons I am therefore satisfied that your presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good that necessitates a mandatory refusal of your application for entry clearance as a visitor.”
The letter concluded by stating that there was no right of appeal or administrative review against this decision.
Mandela, who is also the sitting chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council, hit back at the UK, accusing it of “duplicity and support for, and complicity with genocide in Israel.
He added that he would not waver in his advocacy for the rights of the Palestinian people under international law. He stressed their right to resist occupation, their right to return to their homeland and the fundamental human rights that should be granted to everyone.
“We will not be silenced. We carry the legacy that Madiba [Nelson Mandela] advocated when he said during his trial: “We have fought against black domination and white domination”. We will carry this legacy with pride and fight inequality, domination, occupation, and inequality wherever it raises its ugly head. We will continue to stand with the oppressed of the world wherever they may be. We will never abandon the Palestinian people who stood with us in our darkest hour,” he said in a post on Instagram.
Mr Mandela noted that the visa refusal letter reflected the UK’s complicity with “apartheid Israel and its ongoing support for the genocide in Gaza and throughout occupied Palestine”.
“We achieved our freedom despite the support Apartheid South Africa received from the UK and USA and this refusal letter is an extension of the colonial mentality that seeks to deny us our right of free movement, association and speech,” added Mr Mandela.
“We will not be silenced. The denial of visa is an infringement of my movement and an attempt to undermine the work of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in the UK.
“My grandfather’s movement and freedom was likewise restricted but he refused the condition of release from prison that restricted him to the Transkei. He remained firm in his pursuit of justice and continued to be a symbol of freedom, justice, and human rights for all.”
It is worth noting that Nelson Mandela, an icon of the anti-apartheid struggle, was once labelled a terrorist by the UK government. Under Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, the UK notably resisted international sanctions against apartheid South Africa, even going so far as to label Nelson and his comrades in the African National Congress party as terrorists.
Similarly, Palestinians, much like South Africans under apartheid, are fighting for their survival and their right to exist as a free people.
