Celebrating an icon

IN THE pantheon of heroes of South Africa’s storied Struggle to free itself of the shackles of apartheid, there are two who stand head and shoulders above the rest – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and his erstwhile wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

One was exiled to a bleak and barren island within sight of the country he tried to free; the other was effectively jailed in plain sight, harried relentlessly, at times internally exiled and at other times held in solitary detention for months.

Madiba came out of jail a statesman; beloved by global leaders, celebrities and his former foes. Winnie almost landed back in jail, after being convicted of kidnapping and being an accessory to assault, following the murder of young activist Stompie Seipei at her Orlando West home.

There were other allegations against her of assault and fraud, of friendships with unsavoury characters, love affairs, and at best an indifferent attitude towards public service, either as a deputy minister or as a member of Parliament, all of which contrived to minimise her in the eyes of the world.

In the streets of the townships, though, there was no doubt, not once, not ever. She was, and remains today, the Mother of the Nation, the embodiment of the Struggle, the lodestar for those without hope eking out an existence in shanty towns in the lee of towering skyscrapers, and also for those who feel that the revolution has passed them by.

Madikizela-Mandela is an icon of our times – she deserves to be as revered as her former husband. Undoubtedly flawed, quintessentially human, she fought a fight that played out in full view of the world, but for that reason is often overlooked.

Unlike the political prisoners who had the certainty of their fate, she had to be a single parent, often unable to provide for her children from one day to the next, while still being the embodiment of the Struggle in full view and defiance of the very system that had put her husband away for almost the rest of his life.

Very few people have ever paused to think of the toll which that exacted, or the dynamics of being reunited almost three decades later and then unceremoniously consigned to the shadows, unacknowledged but with a huge weight of expectations upon her, a burden not asked of anyone else.

Madikizela-Mandela is not perfect; her legacy is tarnished and should not be burnished in the revision of history. She has stumbled often, but her faults and her wrongs have been held up for all to see, unlike other Struggle heroes who have managed to sidestep the same scrutiny. Throughout all of it, she has remained unwavering in her commitment to the most vulnerable, giving voice to the voiceless, as she did throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It’s time to acknowledge that this country owes Madikizela-Mandela a debt that can never be adequately paid.

Happy birthday!