Winnie was only human after all

In the face of the nation and the world, Mama Winnie MadikizelaMandela remains a true Struggle icon.

She fought gallantly for the cause and in the process was subjected to harassment and banishments by the apartheid government. Her struggles are well documented.

Today, South Africans from all spheres of life are in tears, mourning Mama Winnie’s death.

But as much as we reflect on the good things that MadikizelaMandela did for this country, we should also reflect on the mistakes Mama made in her life.

But, we can’t dwell only on the bad side of Mama because she, like any human being, erred in life. However, she was human enough to apologise for her mistakes, for which she was duly punished.

Madikizela-Mandela was also involved in a series of controversies in both her political and private life. She endured derision from the white community when she endorsed the practice of “necklacing” on April 13 1986, while giving a speech in Munsieville, West Rand. Then came the Stompie Seipei saga that further tarnished her reputation. Her bodyguard and coach of the infamous Mandela United Football Club (MUFC), Jerry Richardson, made startling revelations in December 1988 that Mama Winnie ordered the kidnapping of the 14-year-old Stompie. Stompie’s body was found in a field with stab wounds to the throat in January 1989.

She was arrested and handed a six-year jail sentence for kidnapping. Her reputation was further dented when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in its final report in 1998, found her politically and morally accountable for the gross violations of human rights committed by the MUFC.

But, like we said, Mama was no angel and was punished for her mistakes. What is disheartening, though, is that there are still some out there who don’t want to forgive her, even after her death.

We were subjected to the harshest forms of harassment during apartheid but we made efforts to forgave our tormentors. Yet some of those who cheered the likes of PW Botha, FW de Klerk and Wouter Basson would not forgive her.

The road to true reconciliation will be much smoother if we all acknowledged the past honestly.