South African politician and anti-apartheid activist Lindiwe Sisulu slammed the display of a Ukrainian flag at the Nelson Mandela monument earlier this week as “distasteful” and disrespectful to the legacy of the revered South African leader.

“Nelson Mandela is a hero of the struggle, he is a hero of South Africa and possibly a hero for most of Africa,” Sisulu, who spent much of her life in exile during apartheid, told panafrican.email.

She added that the act of draping a foreign flag in the place, where Mandela gave his first speech after his release from prison, was disrespectful and out of line.

“We would never in our struggle have gone to a shrine of a particular country to drape our flag,” she said, highlighting the importance of respecting the cultural and historical significance of the site.

Sisulu expressed confusion over the purpose of the act, stating that she could not understand “why they found that they should do that in such an unsavory way.” She underscored the shared experience of exile among South Africans, emphasizing that they would never have dared to display their flag on a monument dedicated to a foreign leader.

The former anti-apartheid activist also questioned the connection between the Ukrainian group’s nationalist message and Mandela’s legacy, stating that the suffering of the South African people during apartheid was unparalleled.