Nelson Mandela linked to Christchurch massacre

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – The gunman who killed 50 worshippers in a Christchurch mosque referred to former world statesman Nelson Mandela in a lengthy manifesto before the incident.

Brenton Tarrant’s document which has been published online was e-mailed to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moments before the attack. In the 74-page manifesto, he refers to Mandela as “a terrorist”.

“I do not expect to be released, but I also expect an eventual Nobel Peace prize - as was awarded to the terrorist Nelson Mandela once his own people achieved victory and took power. I expect to be freed in 27 years from my incarceration, the same number of years as Mandela, for the same crime,” Tarrant wrote.

PANA reports that Mandela who was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with former President FW De Klerk in 1994, was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation.

In his manifesto, Tarrant accepts he is a racist and a fascist and he refers to United States President Donald Trump, as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose”. 

South Africa has joined nations around the world in condemning the attack. Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya said they were not aware of any South Africans who had been affected by the attacks.

With about 70 000 nationals living in New Zealand, South Africa is the fifth largest source of immigrants behind the United Kingdom, China, India, and Australia.

While South Africans have migrated to New Zealand since the 19th century, over 90 percent of South Africans in New Zealand today have migrated since the fall of apartheid in the early 1990s.

Most South African New Zealanders are white.

-0- PANA CU/VAO 17March2018