I judged Winnie so unjustly
It wasn’t until reading Madiba’s book that her strength, courage shone through
SO I HAD not thought much about my view of her before I heard of what seemed like her unexpected death, because she was still so robustly engaged on current issues, most recently expressing her views on corruption in the ANC and the need for Jacob Zuma to resign .
My view was pretty much Nelson good, Winnie bad , Nelson patient, Winnie petulant, Nelson respectful of authority, she disrespectful. He reliable and consistent, she not. He all that is noble and good and honourable freedom fighter, she a murderer, unfaithful wife, troublemaker.
The only thing I could see about her was that she was still a very beautiful woman, and given her age must have been spectacularly beautiful in her youth . Then a month ago I read Long Walk to Freedom.
Incidentally, if you are a South African, and your first language is English or Afrikaans, and you have not read this book, and you wish to be part of a new South African narrative, this book is a vital read .
From this book, my view on Winnie Madikizela-Mandela started to change, as I read how she was harassed, bullied, followed, controlled and manipulated by the security police. These are well documented in many letters and articles and radio interviews in the recent two weeks, but she without any doubt endured a life with no privacy, no income and great hardship as a single mother bringing up two children with a husband in prison, and a closed down legal practice .
All the main ANC and other groupings against the apartheid state leadership were either in prison or overseas in exile, and she seems to have been practically the only local leader who passionately led the South African oppressed public to keep up hope. And by all accounts she was the only leader the security establishment could not break or did not assassinate.
So was it Stratcom (a group within the apartheid government that was specifically tasked to create and carry out disinformation campaigns) which gave the instruction for Stompie (Seipei) to be murdered, to try and undermine her and make her seem a murderer, even in her husband’s eyes? Did Stratcom plant the whole football club to infiltrate and undermine Winnie’s work? Was she violated, and/or blackmailed on the instructions of Stratcom?
It seems common cause that Stratcom attempted and did, in fact, successfully achieve, to divide the ANC leadership into the moderates and radicals; and did it not try to besmirch and/or assassinate any radical who did not fit into the Oliver Tambo/ Nelson Mandela narrative of forgiveness and a rainbow nation new constitution?
By at least one credible account, Stratcom paid 35 reporters to spin the apartheid government official position; how much more was not spent on other mechanisms and efforts?
Did Stratcom not perhaps offer houses and even illicit income flows to individual leaders, or even all leaders individually, as a way to silently manipulate the outcome in 1994 so that although political power was handed over economic power could be maintained? Certainly the fact that the corrupt arms deal may support a scenario where the new ANC government was already compromised and even “captured”.
So Winnie not singing from the same hymn book was perhaps a threat to all those first group of ANC government, perhaps she even found out about kickbacks, etc and the new security establishment was used to continue what the apartheid one had started. Did Sydney Mafumadi receive from Stratcom, or others, what all leaders considered fair and equitable, but is now recorded in Stratcom as informers’ fees?
Certainly for the past 10 years, South Africa has had (a slightly courser) third phase of colonialism (after English and then apartheid Afrikaans colonialism) by the rainbow elite. I say this because poor people remain in similar, or more unequal positions, and the focus is only on our classist, racist system and materialist focus.
Did Winnie benefit materially like all the other captured, compromised leaders? It does not appear so to me at this stage…
Has South Africa changed? Or has a pale privileged elite just shared some wealth with a privileged rainbow elite… To me it seems the previously ethical leadership has been bought by capitalist and material interests.
Stratcom may have done the perfect compromised deal for privileged South Africa, but at whose expense? At the continued cost of oppressing the poor and working class, and at the specific expense of Winnie’s reputation…
I think the truth will out, and I call all parties concerned to come forward and deliver the truth to us all.
I suspect a 180° opposing reality may come out, showing her to be a courageous, loyal, strong leader and tireless fighter for freedom, perhaps even more so than her husband and other presently recognised leaders and heroes of the struggle.