Donald Rickard, a US Spy working for the CIA has confirmed that he was responsible for the tip that led to the arrest of former African president, Nelson Mandela. Rickard served as the US vice-consul in Durban and CIA operative.
According to a taped interview with British filmmaker John Irvin. Mr Rickard said Nelson Mandela was considered;
The world’s most dangerous communist outside of the Soviet Union” and was about to incite a rebellion against the apartheid regime, opening the door for Soviet intervention. If the Soviets had come in force, the United States would have had to get involved, and things could have gone to hell. We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it.
Nelson Mandela was disguised as a chauffeur when he was arrested in Durban.
Donald Rickard died 2 weeks after this heavy revelation, and his bombshell has prompted calls for the CIA to release more information about the arrest, and their relationship with the apartheid government.
A senior official of the African National Congress, Ronnie Kasrils, who also worked with Nelson Mandela said;
Mandela’s early capture certainly hindered the struggle against apartheid,It is clear that the regime and its spooks worked hand in glove with the CIA. The CIA needs to come clean on what happened.
Nelson Mandela spent 28 years in prison when he was arrested, and was convicted for trying to rebel against the white minority in the country. He denied claims that he was a communist.
When Mandela was arrested, the cold war between the Soviet Union and the US was at its height and CIA had its eyes on various countries where they saw communism as a growing threat. Such countries include China, East Germany, Cuba and Vietnam.