Most of Winnie Mandela's 38-year marriage to Nelson was spent apart, leaving her to raise their two daughters alone as she kept his political dream alive
After EFF leader Julius Malema took a swipe at some ANC leaders for allegedly having sold out struggle icon and stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela some have questioned the historical basis of his anger.
Addressing funeral attendees at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Malema told ANC leaders it was funny that ANC and UDF “sellouts” were unashamedly attending the funeral and crying the loudest for her now that she was dead.
According to Malema, in the 1980s the United Democratic Front (UDF), the banned ANC’s front organisation, called a press conference to distance itself from Madikizela-Mandela.
“Mama, the UDF cabal that rejected you is here, they called a press conference to dissociate themselves from you. But you were never a member of the UDF, you were the only one who pronounced as the ANC,” Malema said.
The ANC Women’s League also did not escape Malema’s sharp tongue. He said some in the league refused to be led by Madikizela-Mandela and rejected her because they regarded her as a “criminal”.
Similarly, the ANC also prevented the struggle stalwart from speaking at the funeral of late former ANC Youth League president and party NEC member Peter Mokaba, although she was the president of the ANCWL and the league was on the funeral programme that day.
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He said the EFF would wait for a signal from Madikizela-Mandela to tell them what they should do about those who had rejected and sold her out.
He alluded to the fact that their mother was ill-treated by the apartheid authorities and that her children suffered under the same system.
“The EFF leadership is here because they proudly associate with you,” Malema said.
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However, some on Twitter questioned whether Malema had his facts right.
Former UDF member Madeleine Fullard said it was wrong of Malema not to mention that it was the ANC leader himself at the time, Oliver Tambo, who was the face of an ANC national executive decision to distance themselves from Winnie Mandela’s Mandela United Football Club and have it disbanded.
Fullard became a student activist in the 1980s for the UDF and a few years ago led a team of investigators looking for the bodies of missing apartheid activists who were murdered by the regime.
Columnist Max du Preez said Malema’s alleged ignorance could not be excused even if he was only eight years old in 1989.
“He should get his facts correct before he speaks.”
Nevertheless, many comments to Fullard said that she was misinterpreting what the EFF leader had said, while others maintained that the UDF had made its own decisions.
Others told Fullard they suspected she was part of “Stratcom”.
Take a look at the full speech for yourself below:
Others were somewhat more impressed with Malema.