New York, October 11, 2022 (SPS)- Mr. Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, Member of the South African Parliament and grandson of the late South African leader and activist, Nelson Mandela, told the United Nations that "we cannot rest while Western Sahara is occupied", reiterating his country's solidarity with the liberation struggle of the Sahrawi people.
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela added, in a speech before the work of the UN Fourth Committee (Committee on Decolonization): "We cannot rest while Western Sahara remains under occupation; this is our commitment and our position, which we will adhere to unequivocally until the liberation of the Sahrawi Republic”.
"Just to think that in this 21st century we can still support colonial occupation on our beloved continent is a disgrace that must be eradicated," he continued.
Nelson Mandela's grandson said “we must, work together, make things right and unite, through forums like this, and fight for the decolonization of the last colonial outpost in Africa quickly."
He called on the Moroccan occupation to abandon its expansionist policy, saying: “We demand Morocco to abandon its imperialist ambitions in Western Sahara and end the occupation now”.
“we demand an immediate end to the occupation and the release of all political prisoners who are imprisoned in Moroccan prisons” he stressed.
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela pointed out that there is a similarity between what his country has experienced and what the Sahrawi people live under occupation, saying that "South Africans were themselves victims of colonialism and racial discrimination that destroy the lives of peoples."
He expressed his belief in the inevitable victory of the Sahrawi people by saying: "We know for sure that the Sahrawi people will win in spite of all odds, and because the outcome of just causes is the victory that will crown the sacrifices of generations of brave fighters in the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi people in general, we will stand by you until dawn Freedom".
He said that Spain, the former colonial power, had "easily washed its hands of Western Sahara", referring in this context to his country's experience with colonialism and how it affected its development path.
Nelson Mandela's grandson affirmed his conviction that just as South Africa won because its cause is just, the Sahrawi people will also win over all the difficulties of history.
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