TEHRAN - Chief Zwelivelile Mandela, grandson of the revered anti-racist icon Nelson Mandela, says the Palestinian people are facing a worse form of apartheid than the South Africans experienced.

Zwelivelile Mandela made the remarks as Israel is committing the worst crime against the Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

"The Palestinians are experiencing a worse form of the apartheid regime, worse than that we have ever experienced as South Africans," Zwelivelile Mandela, also a member of the South African Parliament, said in an interview with the Tehran Times. 

Following is the full text of the interview:

As the grandson of a great peacemaker who is globally known, how do you see Israel’s war on Gaza?

A: We as the Mandela family and the grandson of President Nelson Mandela regard the Palestinian issue as the greatest moral issue of our time. Yet, many governments seem to be mute and silent on the matter. Many often speak of Nelson Mandela as a man of peace, and your foreword has described him as such. But it is forgotten that before Mandela spoke of peace, he was a leader of our struggle for liberation. He fought a just struggle against one of the most brutal and oppressive apartheid regimes in South Africa. Nelson Mandela formed “uMkhonto we Sizwe” or Spear of the Nation, the military armed wing of the African National Congress, saying to us that the time had come for us in our struggle for liberation, to submit or resist. Therefore, he called us to arms to fight in order to liberate our country. And it is on that premise that will continue as the next generation in South Africa to uphold his position and clear views in regards to Palestine. He said to people in Gaza in 1995 on his visit, “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people.” And therefore, we will continue to be the voice in the international community rallying for support for the Palestinian people. And like we had the right to resist, Palestinians have a right to resist occupation, to resist colonialism, and to resist being murdered by one of the most brutal and oppressive regimes, that being the Zionist apartheid state of Israel. We therefore appreciate that the Iranian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been able to arrange this international conference on Palestine and see how we can be able to take the struggle for the Palestinians further. 

So as a member of a peace-loving family that fought an apartheid regime in in South Africa, do you believe Israel is an apartheid regime? 

A: Absolutely, many of us as South Africans who have lived under occupation, who have suffered under a brutal apartheid regime, had those of us that have been able to visit the West Bank and occupied Palestine, have come back with one conclusion, that the Palestinians are experiencing a worse form of apartheid regime, worse than that we have ever experienced as South Africans. And this is why, wherever apartheid raises its ugly head, as South Africans we will always be there to speak against it.

How can the legacy of Nelson Mandela help Palestinians in their struggle for independence? 

A: Palestinians hold President Nelson Mandela to higher regard. The largest statue of President Mandela is in South Africa, at the Union buildings, but the largest statue outside South Africa in the global communities is in Ramallah. This is how they have placed a real significance in drawing lessons and experiences from the life and times of President Mandela. Therefore, Nelson Mandela may be a hero of the South African struggle for liberation, but he is an icon to the Palestinian people in Gaza and occupied Palestine. We want to say to the Palestinians, just as they were an inspiration to us, during our struggle for liberation, and during our dark days, just as they were able to support us until we attained our liberation, as South Africans, we will continue to supporting them right up until they attain their liberation. We owe them that much. 

By Mehran Shamsuddin