MaWinnie made huge sacrifice for freedom

IT IS several days since the passing of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and we are still in shock. We did not know how ill she was, and we still felt her vibrant personality. We are now filled with feelings of regret; regret that we neglected her for some years, and regret that we allowed some nasty press reporting to affect our warm feelings for her.

It has to be said that her style of leadership made things difficult for many comrades who appreciated her major contribution to the Struggle.

Unlike most cadres of the ANC who placed collective decision-making at the centre of their work, Winnie was a strong individualist who spoke her mind in public, even if it meant crossing the conventional political line.

Of course, her stance grew out of the objective political environment at the time when the formal structures of the movement were decimated and she was isolated.

But her style of individual leadership continued even when the collective was established. Who can say now that she was wrong?

At this time, when we are only conscious of our loss, we must all pay tribute to this extraordinary person who suffered so much for the cause of freedom.

We also hope that our younger generation who have benefited from the freedom she won, the so-called “born frees”, will come to appreciate the immense sacrifices people like Winnie made as we all struggle to make that freedom really fruitful.