Airing of ‘Winnie’ upsets soapie star
actress Manaka Ranaka was‚ like a lot of South Africans‚ left spitting mad after a documentary on Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s life was recently screened.
The tell-all documentary premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival last year and was aired on SA TV screens last week ahead of Ma Winnie’s funeral on Saturday.
Among one of the most explosive moments in the documentary, is when Winnie speaks about being hauled in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the 1990s. It was here that Desmond Tutu called on her to apologise for her alleged part in the disappearance and murder of “apartheid police spies”.
Ma Winnie’s reaction to this had many people’s blood boiling and claiming Tutu had let the Mother of the Nation down.
Manaka was one of those left shocked by the documentary and took to social media to vent her frustration and demand answers from the religious leader.
Sharing the clip‚ Manaka wrote: “Let the truth be told. Tutu‚ why? ANC‚ why?”
She added that she had always believed Ma Winnie and said she was “just glad the truth is finally coming out”.
“People must speak the truth now‚ not when it is so late. I am more furious because if I knew something I would have spoken‚ even today. Yho this is so sad.”
In fact‚ Manaka was so angry‚ she walked out of the room before the documentary on Winnie had ended.
“This moment got me walking out the auditorium out of so much anger and rage. I’m so angry at my elders.”
She responded to a follower’s claim that Tutu didn’t know the full truth back in the 90s and was working with what he had.
“Have you watched the doccie? He must answer our questions. And what facts do you have that he was not involved in the character assassination of Mama Winnie?”
When it was suggested that an open dialogue be started with Tutu to find out what he knew‚ Manaka rejected the idea.
“My darling‚ the doccie says it all for me. I need not open no dialogue with a puppet. I have no respect for people‚ elders in particular who have no reasoning capacity. Was he [Tutu] at any of Mama’s memorials? If not then it says a lot about his consciousness and his remorse. A tweet is just not enough for someone you claimed to love.”