Following the denial of his visa to travel to the United Kingdom earlier this month for pro-Palestinian events in various cities, including Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, Mandla Mandela said this will not prevent him from standing for justice, peace, and equality for the people of Palestine. Mandela, who is the chief of the Mvelo Traditional Council, UK's refusal of his visa highlights its duplicity and complicity in the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel.

DENIED

In a visa refusal letter from the British government, Mandela was informed that his presence in the UK had been assessed as not conducive to the public good because he had engaged in 'unacceptable behavior'. "You have made multiple statements that explicitly support Hamas and their terrorist violence, including glorifying the October 7 attack on Israel and their recently deceased leader, Ismail Haniyeh," the letter said. Mandela claimed he received a visa denial for his support of Palestinians against what he viewed as apartheid Israel. "The UK consistently fails to condemn apartheid Israel's war crimes, occupation of Palestinian land, and the genocide of the people of Gaza and all of Occupied Palestine. This is a double standard in extremes and will be severely judged by history," he said. He emphasised that nothing would deter him from advocating for the struggle of the Palestinian people.

HE WILL NOT BE SILENCED

Mandela said he would not be silenced, as he carries the legacy of his late grandfather, Madiba. "We will not be silenced. We carry the legacy of Madiba. 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 statement. He also said he would never let the refusal of a visa prevent him from standing for justice, peace, and equality. "The visa refusal letter is symptomatic of the UK's complicity with apartheid Israel and its ongoing support for the genocide in Gaza and all of Occupied Palestine. Visa or no visa, the struggle continues, and we shall relentlessly pursue the ideal of justice, freedom, dignity, and human rights for all. We shall continue to be a voice for the suffering and oppressed peoples of the world,' he concluded.