The mayor, Patricia de Lille, is being criticized for encouraging people to mark the holiday season by writing personal messages to Nelson Mandela. The messages are being collected at a Cape Town exhibition honouring the former South African president, and will be sent to Mandela in three weeks.
De Lille belongs to the opposition Democratic Alliance. A labour group with links to the ruling African National Congress, which Mandela used to lead, says she's trying to gain support by associating the DA with the revered anti-apartheid leader.