Israel Deports Nelson Mandela's Grandson

The grandson of late South African president and anti-apartheid leader Nobel laurate Nelson Mandela arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday, October 8th, 2025 after being detained and then deported by Israel, which prevented the flotilla he was part of from breaking the blockade in Gaza. Mandla Mandela, who returned home with four other South Africans, said he and the group he was with were held in an Israeli prison for six days before being released via Jordan. "We were handcuffed with cable ties tied tightly behind our backs, taken off our boats, put on the platform and paraded for all ... to see," Mandela, 51, said at the airport, where he was greeted by supporters waving Palestinian flags. "But it's nothing compared to what Palestinians have been subjected to on a daily basis," he said, referring to Israel's genocide on Gaza. Mandela is an executive member of the Al Quds Parliamentary Committee for Palestine as well as a member of the flotilla’s executive committee. Prior to the IDF interception, Mandela, like Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who also participated in the flotilla, prerecorded a message: “I’m a citizen of the Republic of South Africa. If you are receiving this video, it means that we have been intercepted and have been abducted by the state of apartheid Israel,” he said. “I call you to request our government to exert pressure for my immediate release.” According to the Israeli Embassy in South Africa, Mandela and several other South African citizens were deported via Jordan. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa “demanded” the “immediate release” of flotilla participants, claiming that they had been abducted. Ramaphosa stressed that their “abduction” undermines efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola extended his gratitude to all involved in helping to secure the release of the detained activists. The government reiterated its commitment to the safety and well-being of its nationals abroad. Bilateral relations between South Africa and Israel have significantly soured in recent years following the African country’s filing a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians. Speaking to JNS, co-chairperson of the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) Craig Pantanowitz said, “The SAZF denounces the so-called ‘Global Sumud Flotilla’ for what it truly is—a reckless political stunt aimed at provoking Israel, not delivering real aid to Gaza. “The SAZF views Mandla Mandela’s participation as a shameful misuse of his grandfather’s legacy in support of Hamas propaganda, and notes that his arrest was the direct result of knowingly breaching a declared naval blockade. The SAZF calls on Mandla to take a page out of his cousins’ books, who met with the GHF to facilitate lawful aid deliveries—a genuine act of humanity, not theatre,” he said. Mandela granddaughters Zaziwe Manaway and Zamaswazi Mandela, joined the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Oct. 4 “Mandla Mandela desperately trying to create a struggle persona for himself has inserted himself into the flotilla stunt. Trying to hijack his grandfather’s legacy, he attempts to conflate Nelson Mandela’s 27 years of hardship on Robben Island to his few days of being detained pending deportation, said National Director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) Wendy Kahn. “It is telling that his flotilla antics are more important to him than the lived realities of his people in the Eastern Cape, who are suffering with no jobs, no water and no food. The SAJBD believes that all efforts should be directed to the acceptance and implementation of the proposed peace plan and not on these sideshow events,” she said.