South African Ambassador to Denmark Zindzi Mandela has been missing in action after controversial tweets relating to land and race were tweeted from an account in her name.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said his attempts to get hold of the daughter of late struggle icons, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, were unsuccessful.
Zindzi Mandela was trending after the tweet: "Dear Apartheid Apologists, your time is over. You will not rule again. We do not fear you. Finally #TheLandIsOurs."
Monyela said he needed to get hold of her to verify whether she was the one who was tweeting because it could be a hijacked account.
"I need to first check with her whether, number one, this is her account because it is not verified, [number] two, whether she is the one who has been tweeting, and [number] three, whether she stands by those tweets, if it is her who has been tweeting," he said.
Monyela added that once all those elements had been verified and established, the department's social media policy would be applied and the matter would be taken forward.
He said he had, however, been told that she was travelling and he would continue to try get hold of her.
Meanwhile, the FF Plus has insisted that the government takes action against Mandela for her "racist and divisive" tweets.
"Ms Mandela apparently does not see the irony of the fact that she is launching an attack on white people in her own country from a successful Eurocentric country by disparaging them as "land thieves and Apartheid apologists" who are like 'those uninvited visitors who don't want to leave'," FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said.
READ: Zindzi Mandela takes aim at 'Apartheid apologists' as #OurLand trends on Twitter
Groenewald added that Mandela owed all South Africans an apology and that making such statements outside of South Africa's borders did not indemnify her against accountability. He added that the statements could not be justified by Mandela, saying she made them in her personal capacity.
"Any statement made by a high-profile government official on a social media platform for all the world to see cannot be labelled private. Until now, the ANC government has opted to look the other way when black politicians openly attack white people and incite racialism," he said.
Groenewald said the ANC government could not remain silent about Mandela's comments as it would send a message of its approval regarding "racist rhetoric" that is detrimental to racial relations in South Africa.
"In the interest of all peace-loving South Africans, the FF Plus will not just let this go. Ms Mandela must be called to account for her irresponsible behaviour," he said.
ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Sihle Zikalala shot down calls for Mandela to be punished, IOL reported on Monday.