JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s ruling party on Tuesday condemned “disparaging remarks” attributed to US President Donald Trump about the country’s late first black president Nelson Mandela.

In a memoir to be released this week, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen accused the president of making racist comments about black leaders — including his predecessor Barack Obama and South African anti-apartheid icon Mandela.

The alleged racism was reported by The Washington Post over the weekend after it obtained a copy of the book ahead of publication.

According to the Post, Cohen quotes Trump saying he did not consider Mandela a “real leader” and praising white-minority rule in apartheid South Africa.

The country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party on Tuesday expressed outrage over Trump’s alleged “disparaging remarks”.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2020