As tributes from the country and abroad continue to pour in to honour the life and times of the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the nation is still gripped in awe over the passing of one of the most famous anti-Apartheid struggle icon.
This is how the ANC veteran Pallo Jordan has described the character of a woman, regarded by many as the “mother of the nation”.
“The nation has lost, the movement has lost. Her courage, her indomitable spirit, her commitment to ordinary people is beyond question, how she stood with weakest, the poorest of the poor amongst us.”
Jordan says Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has left a void in the political arena of this country.
“I think it’s a shame that she fell ill at the time that she did because from what she said herself she was hoping to play a big role in this renewal of the ANC that’s taking place right now, I suppose nature chose another path for her so we dip our banners in salute of Sis Nomzamo Madikizela-Mandela.”
Arrangement, memorial service for Mam Winnie’s funeral
Senior government officials will meet later today to kickstart the process of arranging the funeral and memorial service for anti-apartheid struggle veteran Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that she will be afforded a Special Official Funeral on the 14th of this month preceded by an official memorial service on the 11th.
There hasn’t been any official venue as yet but speaking to the SABC outside the Mandela homestead in Orlando West, Soweto, Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa says an inter-ministerial task team will be established to oversee proceedings.
“The inter-ministerial committee is only going to meet some time this week but this morning the DG in the Presidency with other DGs including the DG of Arts and Culture here will be meeting to look at the nitty-gritties. There are those individuals in society who have a special place in any society. Mama Winnie belonged to that category of people. ”
‘Mama Winnie stood for voiceless women’
The Commission for Gender Equality has described Winnie Madikizela-Mandela as someone who used her voice to stand for the vulnerable and voiceless women in South Africa. The commission has added it’s voice in paying tribute to the struggle stalwart who died on Monday. The commission’s chairperson Lulama Nare has thanked Winnie’s children for sharing their mother with the nation.
“Mama Winnie was always amongst the poor, the most vulnerable in the informal settlements. And Mama Winnie used her voice to stand for the rights of others and herself. Mama Winnie also stands for the rural women that we always forget that they have a voice that she today used her voice coming from a rural area herself as a young girl.”
