Ntsiki Mazwai

Ntsiki Mazwai. Photo: Showmax.com

Ntsiki Mazwai’s dad slams her open lockdown letter to Ramaphosa

The controversial musician-turned- social commentator’s scathing letter to the president was among the trending topics on Twitter on Saturday evening.

Ntsiki Mazwai

Ntsiki Mazwai. Photo: Showmax.com

The scathing letter has racked up an immense amount of attention on Twitter with Ntsiki Mazwai and her father, Thami Mazwai, at the top of the trending charts. 

Known for her outspoken rants which centre on politics and the socioeconomic conditions of the country, Ntiski’s open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa has solicited scrutiny from her own father, former journalist and anti-apartheid activist Thami. 

The elder Mazwai enjoys a close relationship with high-ranking ANC officials and in 2019 was appointed by Deputy President David Mabuza to head the National Planning Commission’s project team on township economy. 

‘White’ solutions serving ‘capitalist agenda’

Published on Saturday, Ntsiki’s letter stated that Ramaphosa was unrelatable to poor South Africans who will be hardest hit by the 21-day lockdown that was effected from Friday 27 March. She blasted him for creating “white” solutions which benefited a few and allegedly served a capitalist agenda. 

“You will never be able to rationalise why you’re a billionaire in such a poverty-stricken country and we can’t point to anything you have created. Mr President, you are part of the capitalist problem that oppresses Africans on this continent.

“Lucky you, 21 days will do NOTHING to your livelihood. For the vast majority of us Africans, this 21 days is the difference between making ends’ meet and bankruptcy,” she wrote. 

Divide between rich and poor

The letter further emphasised the divide between the rich and poor, with Ntsiki lamenting that the vast majority mushroomed in squatter camps while the head of state enjoyed comfort in Sandhurst.

She further slammed the army for using force to urge people to go on lockdown and questioned if spaza shops were allowed to operate as Ramaphosa had outlined in his address. 

“You live in your nice big house in Sandhurst while the vast majority of us — in just one of your rooms, we have to fit almost 10 people. You planned this quarantine from a place of privilege where you didn’t consider the poverty on the ground.”

Thami Mazwai: ‘I doff my hat to the president’

Speaking to The Sowetan, Dr Mazwai did not mince his words as he distanced himself from his daughter. He said he held the government in high esteem and was impressed by their efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19. 

“The efforts by President Ramaphosa and his colleagues show their commitment to our people. I thus, on behalf of my wife and I, distance us from the comments by Ntsiki. I doff my hat to the president for his resolute action to save us from this pandemic, and my thanks to the Cabinet and civil service who are working day and night to stop this virus.”

Mixed Twitter reaction

Ntsiki and her father have been trending on Twitter for the past two days. There has been a mixed reaction to the letter and Dr Mazwai’s rejection of his daughter’s correspondence.