Iconic super model Naomi Campbell was at the forefront of a mixture of cheers and backlash over an open letter she penned for former president Jacob Zuma.
The South Africa Naomi Campbell remembers
The British model sparked controversy when she posted a lengthy caption on her Instagram. In the letter titled This isn’t The South Africa I Remember, Campbell laid the blame for the recent shutdown riots squarely on Zuma’s imprisonment.
“These actions not only saw hundreds lose their lives and property be destroyed. But it affects will now be felt by many millions more,” she wrote.
In her letter, Campbell stressed that the current status quo of the Cyril Ramaphosa-led nation is not the South Africa she was introduced to.
The 51-year-old has always been a great admirer of former president Nelson Mandela. In a conversation with A Magazine Curated By‘s Kim Jones, Campbell revealed how, in the late 80s, she’d save up money to buy tickets for Apartheid exhibitions held in London, UK.
A close encounter came in 1990, when she was living in New York at the time. Campbell bought tickets to attend a reception held by Robert De Niro, Eddy Murphy and Little Steven for Mandela and his then-wife Winnie.
Aged 20 back then, Campbell stood only a few hundred feet away from Mandela. While they never shook hands, she “got to see him walk into the TriBeCa Grill.”
Her first-ever face-to-face encounter came in 1994, when Campbell judged the Miss World pageant in South Africa.
“When I got offstage at Miss World, I was told, ‘You are leaving tomorrow to Johannesburg; the president wants to meet you.’ Then I got a call from Bobby Shriver telling me the same thing – I couldn’t believe it. So off Herb and I went to meet President Mandela in Johannesburg, which was the beginning of a 20-year grandfather-grand- daughter relationship – a very dear relationship to me,” she reflected.
Campbell’s vision of South Africa was one largely influenced by the ideals of Mandela. Now, more than two decades later, the ashes of July’s historic shutdown riots are all that remain of Madiba’s dream.
IN FULL: Campbell’s open letter to Zuma
This is largely the motivation behind Campbell’s open letter. We took the entire statement as it is, with no contributions or alterations made.
This is what Campbell had to say to Zuma:
This isn’t the South Africa I remember and that millions of South African’s fought for. The South Africa that overcame Apartheid , showed the world that change was possible. Led the battle in the fight against HIV/AIDS and has weathered countless efforts to undermine the new South Africa. I have watched how over the last few years you have protested your innocence at the allegations tabled against you of corruption and allowing mass State Capture. I have seen you got out of your way to avoid having to deal with these matters in court and avoid a Commission setup to investigate State Capture. You have talked of the rule of law and the South African constitution being something that should apply to everyone. Yet you defied the courts and were sentenced 15 months in prison. Now upon your incarceration a group of protests under the #Freezuma banner broke out igniting the worst violence and criminality South Africa has seen since the end of apartheid. These actions not only saw hundreds lose their lives and property be destroyed. But it affects will now be felt by many millions more This affects the millions of hard working and peaceful South Africans many whom have suffered over the last year because of Covid. Each day you defy the courts and stoke division you take a step backwards from Madiba’s vision for South Africa to prosper and for their not only be equitable political justice but also economic justice. If you still consider yourself a leader then please act and take responsibility like one. Agree to finish your appearance in front of the State Capture commission and equally you will have your days in court to contest the corruption charges alleged against you. . . Put the Nation first PEACE IN SOUTHAFRICA ❤️ #NAOMIAFRICA