RANJENI MUNUSAMY: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's complex life of defiance
'Her life was messy and complex, her appeal was not limited to the ANC, and her power was not derived from any position she held, except perhaps as Mother of the Nation'
In the coming days, the ANC and South Africa will grapple with how to fittingly commemorate the life and legacy of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. As in her life, in death Madikizela-Mandela will be difficult to package, particularly within the confines of the “special official funeral” that President Cyril Ramaphosa has granted her. Her life was messy and complex, her appeal was not limited to the ANC, and her power was not derived from any position she held, except perhaps as Mother of the Nation. Among the many heroes who rose to lead the struggle against apartheid, there were two truly seminal figures. These were people so colossal that history simply cannot do them justice.Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela represented two parts of the ANC that sustained the organisation during its most difficult years, and were in some ways at variance. The one part of the ANC was orderly and intellectual, the other militant and uncontrollable. The fact that the Mandelas loved each other ...
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