Girls education activist Malala Yousafzai was selected to give the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. In her speech, the Noble Prize Winner spoke at length about the gender apartheid in Afghanistan against women and girls, with no mention of the genocide of Gaza where the death toll has now crossed 15,000 civilians.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Malala urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, pointing to attention to the countless schools and homes that have been bombarded in the war, and for war criminals to be held accountable.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai renewed her call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war as the Palestinian death toll surpassed 15,000.

The overall Israeli death toll is at nearly 1,300. pic.twitter.com/olUYqGIjXY

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 6, 2023

Nelson Mandela was a staunch pro-Palestine supporter, who famously said during his visit to Gaza in 1999 that he “felt at home among compatriots”.

“There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now,” wrote a user.

There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now. https://t.co/wZke0DuJqX

— Usman (@UsmanAhmad_iam) December 5, 2023

“Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela’s struggle, yet not a word about Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide. Nothing but just a mouthpiece can’t be my inspiration anymore,” wrote another user.

Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela's struggle, yet not a word about Israel's apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide.
Nothing but just a mouthpiece can't be my inspiration anymore https://t.co/DOcUEvbPRL

— 🍉🍉🍉 (@notnikammipine) December 5, 2023

“She’s visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset,” said a tweet.

She's visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset. https://t.co/FxVJpg5vnl

— Sajjad Khan (@drsajjadkahn) December 5, 2023

Previously Malala released a statement on October 10 grieving for the Palestinian and Israeli children who were caught in the war. Many were quick to slam the feminist activist for failing to recognise that this was a genocide where more Palestinian lives were being lost everyday.

My theory is that everyone ‘both siding’ this conflict is actively choosing to peddle the hypocritical tone set by the global Western politics. You can just “both sides need to calm down” your way out of the guilt of knowing that Isr@31 is committing a full fledge genocide. https://t.co/scZN6VtmTY

— Kashan Ahmed (@_kaeshh) October 11, 2023

Many have drawn comparisons between Malala’s silence and climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s outspoken resistance against the genocide of Gaza. Greta published an op-ed for The Guardian where she criticised Israel as the death toll grows in Gaza, with more children passing away from Israeli airstrikes.

The death rate in Gaza is at a historic high, with thousands of children killed in just a few weeks.
Demanding an end to this inexcusable violence is a question of basic humanity. Silence is complicity. You cannot be silent in an unfolding genocide.https://t.co/Az5O7ZKYU5

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 5, 2023