Museum and statue planned in Winnie’s honour

In honour of struggle veteran Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, government plans to establish a museum and erect a statue of her, along with those of other female struggle heroes, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said.

The museum will be in Brandfort, where Madikizela-Mandela was banished by the apartheid authorities in the late ’70s. Statues of other women in the struggle would be erected in other parts of the country.

“Mama Winnie Mandela was one of the finest cadres of the ANC movement. We need to preserve her legacy,” Magashule said.

Magashule unveiled a programme for Madikizela-Mandela’s memorial and funeral service, as well as scheduled visits by ANC leaders to her Soweto house until the funeral on April 14. It would be a state-led funeral, he said.

ANC national executive committee members would visit today and a condolences book for members of the public would be opened on the same day, while Saturday has been declared Madikizela-Mandela’s Day of Service – a dedication to her outstanding work both as a social worker and an activist.

Memorial services would be held from Monday with the ANC holding one at Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg and the state memorial service on April 11 at Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto. There is another planned at Bizana in the Eastern Cape and at the University of Pretoria.

ANC chaplain-general Rev Vukile Mehana said both the memorial and funeral services would be interdenominational, but would be led by the Methodist Church of which Madikizela-Mandela was a member.

The main funeral service would be conducted by Methodist Presiding Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa next Saturday.

Magashule said although Madikizela-Mandela was an ANC stalwart, the party was not opposed to the participation of speakers from opposition parties because she was the mother of the nation. He said proceedings won’t be run by the ANC but the programme and speakers would be decided by the state, in conjunction with the family.

“We leave it to the family to decide who they want to speak,” said Magashule.

A family spokesperson, Lieutenant-General Temba Matanzima, confirmed the funeral service would be held at Orlando Stadium in Soweto but Madikizela-Mandela would be laid to rest in Fourways, north of Johannesburg.

Memorial services would be held at different places, including at provincial level countrywide.

Magashule said the ANC has been receiving international messages, including from the South West Africa People’s Organisation, the ruling party in Namibia. He described Madikizela-Mandela’s death as a “national tragedy”.

“Her legacy and footprints remind us of her lasting legacy amongst us.”

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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