JOHANNESBURG, September 4, 2025 (WAFA) — Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late Nelson Mandela, has said that the conditions Palestinians face under Israeli occupation are more severe than what Black South Africans endured under apartheid. He called on the international community to increase support for the Palestinian people.

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday evening at Johannesburg Airport before boarding a flight to Tunisia, Mandela said, “Many of us that have visited the occupied territories in Palestine have only come back with one conclusion: that the Palestinians are experiencing a far worse form of apartheid than we ever experienced.”

The 51-year-old is joining ten South African activists as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a coalition of boats attempting to deliver food and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla is sailing despite an Israeli naval blockade. Participants include hundreds of people from 44 countries, among them Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

Mandela stressed the importance of global solidarity, drawing parallels to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. “We believe that the global community has to continue supporting the Palestinians, just as they stood side-by-side with us,” he said.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress voiced support for the mission, saying it “echoes our own struggle for liberation”.

Mandela also pointed out that the end of apartheid in 1994 came after sustained international pressure, including sanctions and diplomatic isolation. “They isolated apartheid South Africa and finally collapsed it. We believe that the time has come for that to be done for the Palestinians,” he said.

M.N