BEVERLY HILLS, CA – NOVEMBER 09: Zindzi Mandela speaks onstage during the 2013 BAFTA LA Jaguar Britannia Awards presented by BBC America at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 9, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
Dirco denies Zindzi Mandela was not paid salary for months
On the same day she was buried, a screenshot of a message made the rounds and sparked outrage amongst social media users, including outspoken musician Ntsiki Mazwai, who also shared the post
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – NOVEMBER 09: Zindzi Mandela speaks onstage during the 2013 BAFTA LA Jaguar Britannia Awards presented by BBC America at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 9, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) found itself under fire on Saturday, 18 July 2020, after claims that South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark Zindzi Mandela, had not received her salary for months, all as part of a push by government against her.
Mandela, the youngest daughter of former president Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was laid to rest on Friday morning, at the Fourways Memorial Park in Johannesburg.
She died at age 59 on Monday and had tested positive for COVID-19 prior to her passing.
On the same day she was buried, a screenshot of a message made the rounds and sparked outrage amongst social media users, including outspoken musician Ntsiki Mazwai, who also shared the post.
Naledi Pandor ‘punishing’ Zindzi
The message further claimed that Mandela would be serving at the Liberian embassy as a form of punishment from Dirco minister Naledi Pandor.
“Many do not know that in the middle of all the eulogies, you were not paid your salary for months by DIRCO. To punish you, Naledi Pandor sent you a message that you should go to the low-ranking Liberia embassy. Rest in power Mbokodo”, the message read.
Here’s what Dirco said in response:
“DIRCO confirms Amb Zindzi Mandela’s salary was never withheld. Last one paid on 15/07/2020. Claims to the contrary are false. Africa is the centerpiece of our Foreign Policy. Deployment of envoys is always strategic. Addressing this when SA is mourning (Ambassador) Mandela is unfortunate”
Last year Mandela sparked a massive twitter storm when she spoke against so-called apartheid apologists and “land thieves”. Dirco’s subsequent move to condemn her social media remarks invited criticism to government and the ANC.
“When Naledi Pandor, Nkosazana Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu canvass for presidency we will remind them how they never defended Winnie and got another chance with Zindzi and didn’t defend her either. So we know their types of characters. We don’t want them!”, Mazwai tweeted.
The FF Plus has insisted that the government takes action against Mandela for her “racist and divisive” tweets.
“Ms Mandela apparently does not see the irony of the fact that she is launching an attack on white people in her own country from a successful Eurocentric country by disparaging them as “land thieves and Apartheid apologists” who are like ‘those uninvited visitors who don’t want to leave’,” FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said.
