The current challenges and hardships in South Africa which have led to the recent xenophobic attacks can be blamed on the actions of its former leader and global icon, the late Nelson Mandela, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper has said.

Kwesi Pratt is of the view that the late President made several compromises before he became the leader of South Africa. These compromises have kept the apartheid system in a different form.

“Mandela is a huge personality and so when you are talking about him you have to be careful else you offend a lot of people, but the South Africans admit his postures have contributed to the current situation there,” he said

Speaking on Accra-based Atinka FM, Mr. Pratt explained that the African National Congress (ANC) had a Freedom Charter which spelt out what the black South Africans would do after apartheid, but Mandela later ignored it. This charter was meant to protect the interest of Africans including economic interest, but Mandela threw it away, thereby keeping the vast majority of the people in economic suppression.

He revealed that President Mandela was living like a King during his last years in prison and that he was not treated like a prisoner at all. “He was living like a king during his last years in prison and so he made a lot of compromises,” he added.

“ During his last year in prison, Mandela negotiated with the apartheid regime for his freedom and he was doing the negotiation without his political party ANC, deciding what the future of South Africa will be. So he made several compromises in that period and that is the reason why the structure of apartheid is still intact”.

Mr. Pratt added that when Mandela returned from prison, he quickly started implementing what they agreed on while in prison.

The veteran journalist said the apartheid regime groomed Mandela and that he came out and implemented what he was taken through instead of the ANC’s policies for the South Africa.