NATIONAL NEWS - The release of a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) document, titled Nelson Mandela: What if Alive and Well and Free in SA, reveals that the apartheid government released Nelson Mandela from jail out of fear of a massive backlash if the struggle icon died in prison, Business Day has reported.
Property of the People, a US-based organisation committed to governmental transparency, released the document on Tuesday to mark the struggle icon’s centenary.
“South African officials have been considering Mandela’s release primarily because they fear that the death in prison of the aging leader (who is 68) would trigger massive upheavals and would intensify international criticism‚” according to the document.
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It further states that South African officials believed releasing Mandela could work in their favour by helping them gain international favour.
“Some South African officials believe that his release could produce a public relations bonanza,” it says.
