YUNUS MOMONIAT: Winnie and SA deserve an honest assessment
Madikizela-Mandela documentary fails to provide nuance about a time of war, confusion and tragedy
The documentary turns yesterday’s heroes into villains, measured by today’s sensibilitiesWinnie Madikizela-Mandela’s death has generated fevered and many-sided debate that maps ideological and other fault-lines in SA.Feminists, keen to downplay critiques of Madikizela-Mandela, argue that her death is of the same order as Nelson Mandela’s; EFF leader Julius Malema castigates anyone who refuses to endorse everything she did; the ANC and its Women’s League are desperately rewriting their relationship with "Mam’ Winnie".United Democratic Front (UDF) critics of her excesses have been silenced; and critics such as the DA are desperately hoping they remain under the radar rather than be exposed as unwilling to show even a shred of empathy for her.Pascale Lamche’s documentary Winnie — shoddy work that hoodwinked judges at the Sundance Film Festival to ignore its bias and give it an award — has raised temperatures further.Hypocrisy, opportunism and cowardice are drowning out circumspect cons...
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