Latest news with #NdilekaMandela
Russia Today
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Nelson Mandela ‘never lost spirit'
Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first president and a global icon for his anti-apartheid efforts, 'never lost spirit' during his fight for freedom, his granddaughter Ndileka Mandela has said as part of a new RT Africa's film. Visiting Robben Island for the first time in 40 years, she joined an RT crew to retrace the steps of her grandfather's imprisonment. Speaking of the cruelty and inhumane conditions under apartheid, Ndileka Mandela recalled the attempts to crush not only her grandfather's body, but also his soul. 'I had never imagined ... how the apartheid system searched to break the humanity, searched to break the spirit,' she said. RT Africa's upcoming film, 'Mandela: man behind the legend', is set to premiere on July 18, Mandela Day. It offers a look into the life of the South African liberation icon. Told through a tapestry of interviews with people who lived and worked close to Mandela, the film intertwines memory and history, politics and legacy. 'He remained a rural boy at heart through and through,' Ndileka Mandela said. Xoliswa Ndoyiya, Nelson Mandela's former personal chef, describes feeling more like a daughter than an employee, saying: 'The legacy for me is the values that I took from him. Loving people, sharing with people, caring for people, and most of all to respect people.' 'Mandela: man behind the legend' leads viewers to Robben Island, once a symbol of brutal repression where Mandela spent 18 years behind bars, but now a place of memory. Through intimate stories and reflections, the film reveals the enduring strength behind Mandela's message and how his values continue to shape generations far beyond South Africa. The apartheid era in South Africa, which lasted from 1948 to 1994, was a system of racial segregation implemented by the all-white government. It enforced policies that discriminated against non-white South Africans. Nelson Mandela became a leading figure in the resistance, organizing campaigns against the regime. After being imprisoned for 27 years on charges of sabotage, he was released and eventually elected president. Mandela, who passed away in 2013, became the first democratically elected president of South Africa and the first black person to hold the position.
Russia Today
25-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
BRICS offers hope for Africa's future – Mandela's granddaughter
Africa must shake off its legacy of dependence on Western colonial powers and seek true independence by boosting cooperation with partners such as Russia and the BRICS group, Ndileka Mandela has told RT. In an exclusive interview ahead of International Africa Day, the granddaughter of late South African President Nelson Mandela said the continent remains constrained by economic control and financial systems that continue to favor Western interests over local development. According to Mandela, her grandfather believed that true freedom and independence for Africa as a whole and South Africa in particular lies in regional unity and global partnerships rooted in equality. 'For Africa, the path to freedom isn't just about breaking free from old dependencies; it's about building new ones that align with our own values and interests,' she said. 'Real freedom means harnessing our resources to benefit every South African. It means breaking free from the economic control that has kept us reliant on systems that don't serve our interests.' Mandela called out Western countries and corporations for continuing to drain the country's natural resources long after the end of formal colonial rule. She argued that BRICS – which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others – offers a path forward for African nations to break free from exploitative models and build prosperity on their own terms. BRICS holds the potential to reshape economies, advance shared interests, and support meaningful development. It's more than just an economic bloc; it's a chance for countries like ours to grow and overcome challenges together, through mutual respect and shared vision. Mandela went on to say that cooperation with Russia within BRICS 'helps pave the way toward a multipolar world.' She praised Russia as a valuable partner capable of supporting Africa's growth without the strings attached by Western institutions. 'Within this alliance, our collaboration with Russia is a natural extension of shared goals… Russia can be a key partner in ensuring that South Africa and other BRICS nations are not dependent on any single global power,' she said, adding that partnership with the group offers the means to build a resilient economy that values people over profit and builds prosperity for all, not for foreign or corporate interests.
