Soweto send-off for anti-apartheid fighter
Large crowds gathered in South Africa for the funeral of
the anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Thousands of mourners crowded into a stadium in Soweto,
near Johannesburg, where the campaigner was given a high-level send-off before
her burial in Johannesburg.
Her
casket was draped in the national flag, and South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy.
The
former wife of Nelson Mandela died earlier this month at the age of 81.
A controversial
figure, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela was lauded for her role in the anti-apartheid
struggle.
But she
was later shunned by the political elite for endorsing punishment killings for
government informers.
At the
funeral, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's daughter Zenani Mandela-Dlamini berated the
"extreme cruelty" of those she said had led smear campaigns against
her mother and isolated her - only to clear her name after her death.
"It
is so disappointing to see how they withheld their words during my mother's
lifetime, knowing very well what they would have meant to her. Only they know
why they chose to share the truth with the world after she departed," Mrs
Mandela-Dlamini said.
President
Ramaphosa described Mrs Madikizela-Mandela as a symbol of resistance who laid
bare the edifice of patriarchy. He apologised for only belatedly recognising
her contribution.
"I'm
sorry, Mama, that your organisation delayed in according you its honour, to
this point in time and moment. As president, I will propose that we award you
the highest order of our movement, you richly deserve to be awarded", Mr
Ramaphosa said.
There
were loud cheers when the radical Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius
Malema paid tribute to Mrs Madikizela-Mandela.
Mrs
Madikizela-Mandela was a social worker when she met her future husband, then a
prominent anti-apartheid campaigner, in the 1950s.
They
were married for a total of 38 years but for almost three decades of that time,
they were separated by Mr Mandela's long imprisonment. They had two daughters
together.
After Mr
Mandela was imprisoned by the apartheid regime, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela became
an international symbol of resistance to apartheid.
She too
was jailed for her role in opposing white minority rule.
To her
supporters, she became known affectionately as "Mother of the
Nation".
But Mrs Madikizela-Mandela also found herself mired in
scandal for decades.
She was
accused of conducting a virtual reign of terror in parts of Soweto by other
members of the ANC in the late 1980s, and in 2003 she was convicted of fraud.
'Parties unite in tribute'
Nomsa
Maseko at the Orlando Stadium, Soweto, for BBC News
Orlando Stadium reverberated as thousands sang liberation
songs, paying tribute to the freedom fighter known to many simply as Mama
Winnie.
Supporters
of various political parties who are often at odds with each put their
differences aside to pay tribute to the anti-apartheid activist.
During
the dark days of apartheid, Orlando Stadium in Soweto was always often
associated with politicians delivering fiery speeches - and today was no
different.
Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela's death managed to unite different political parties who are
often at odds with each other.
Many
agreed to put their differences aside to give her the send-off she deserved.
A
reassessment of her contribution to South Africa's apartheid struggle has been
playing out in local media.
While
once she was shunned by South Africa's political elite, including her own party
the ANC, in death she has been almost universally lauded.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
1936: Born in Transkei
1958: Married Nelson Mandela
1969: Jailed for 18 months for
anti-apartheid activities
1976: Banished to rural area by apartheid authorities
1991: Convicted of kidnapping
1996: Divorced from Nelson Mandela
2003: Convicted of fraud
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