by Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela

Campaign Command Chief, Dr Jorge Rodriguez Gómez,

Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen, Comrades and friends,

Allow me to start with warm greetings and best wishes to the Bolivarian people of Venezuela. We bring you warm greetings from South Africa where we have just completed our 7th National General Elections, and although Africa’s oldest liberation movement has lost its parliamentary majority, it is still the largest political party by far in South Africa and will form a coalition government.

Like the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela we are deeply aware of the challenges that the forces of Western Imperialism and its agents deploy. Our presence in your midst today underlines our commitment to the principles of International solidarity and the powerful history a free and democratic South Africa enjoys with The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Latin America more generally.

As we address the fundamental issue of participation in the upcoming Presidential Elections we are reminded that there are three legs upon which our electoral system and process stands viz free, fair and credible. When we are able to convince our people that there has been no interference from domestic or international forces, and that their exercise of their democratic vote, we may consider such elections free.

Of course, we are aware that the unjust and unilateral embargo placed on Venezuela is nothing less than to foster a climate for regime change. Such efforts have through the revolutionary actions of patriotic Venezuelans been thwarted but we must accept that the forces of Western Imperialism and the counter-revolutionaries that support it, will continue pursuing their nefarious agenda.

We call on all freedom loving people in Venezuela to continue the pursuit of freedom, justice and human dignity for all. Collectively, we can only uphold justice and fundamental human rights in the world and strive for a multipolar world, when as individual nation states we strengthen our democracies, work for the upliftment and development of our people, and strengthen relations between our countries of the Global South.

As an observer at many elections, we always take careful note of the prevailing material conditions on the ground. It goes without saying that for an election to be declared free, it must afford the electorate a chance to exercise their franchise without fear of intimidation, violence or any other impediment which may prevent people from casting their ballots or exercising their democratic right.

We have observed in the aftermath of elections in even mature democracies, the allegations of manipulation of process, systems and outcomes of elections. This not only undermines the credibility of such elections but also vitiates against the expression of citizens of their democratic right.

We need a strong and stable Venezuela, in a strong and stable Latin America, in order to advance our agenda of strengthening the Global South. By supporting this agenda we enable equal development in the world

We owe it to the people of Venezuela who through the Bolivarian revolution have demonstrated their antipathy for colonial occupation and have continuosly rejected the machinations of the agente provocateurs whose only aim is the advancement of the agenda of a unipolar world.

Today, we speak as free people, deeply steeped in our resolve that never, never, and never again will we once more put on the shackles of colonial masters. I call on Venezuelan Bolivars to proudly carry the legacy of those whom have gone before us.

We call on the Venezuela Bolivarian youth, the Chavistas to protect the hard earned freedom that your forefathers sacrificed life and limb for by exercising your democratic right to vote. You are the future of this nation, you are the future of Latin America and you are the future of the Global South and of all freedom loving people of the world.

To President Nicholas Madura and the leadership of Venezuela, we salute you and call on all who are involved in the upcoming Presidential elections to ensure that the will of the people prevails.

(C) TPA 2024