Highlights Politics

Winnie Mandela’s legacy of tenacious fight

Warm embrace between anti-apartheid heroin Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (seated) and former Ghanaian first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.
Warm embrace between anti-apartheid heroin Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (seated) and former Ghanaian first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

BY IDRISS CESAY

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of the late South African iconic leader Nelson Mandela, who died on 2 April at age 81, was laid to rest today, Saturday in Johannesburg, leaving a formidable legacy of tenacious fight for freedom.

To no one’s surprise, the stands of Orlando Stadium in Soweto, the venue of a massive memorial service held in her honor on Thursday, were filled to capacity with an endless crowd of women of all ages celebrating the life of the anti-apartheid stalwart.

Clad in green and black, members of the women’s wing of the African National Congress chanted “she didn’t die, she multiplied,” a refrain that spread all over the stadium.

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Many in attendance, especially younger people, punched their fists in the air, mimicking Winnie who would accompany the gesture with her shout of “Amandla,” “Power to the people.”

If Nelson Mandela, the charismatic, iconic leader of post-apartheid South Africa was affectionately referred to as the “father of the nation,” Winnie was rightly called the “mother of the nation.”

Maman Winnie has left a legacy few women in Africa can claim, as detailed in the story at this link by The African‘s reporter Andrea Bagho.