Malema rebukes ANC over #WinnieMandela

By Sihle Manda

 After weaving through the media scrum, EFF leader Julius Malema climbed onto a barrier, rising above the red sea of his adoring supporters.

He then addressed the crowd, to much jubilation. The scenes were a culmination of a boisterous 30 minutes in Orlando West’s Maseko Street as EFF supporters chanted Struggle songs while flanked by two roaring motorcycles and marching to the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s house.

When they finally arrived at the residence’s front gate, manned by security personnel – the gates parted, making way for a red Mercedes-Benz Vito. From it alighted a weary-looking Malema and party leaders Floyd Shivambu, Dali Mpofu and Godrich Gardee.

They were ushered through and disappeared for 45 minutes.

Malema was met by a media frenzy and EFF supporters with cellphones and video equipment, all eager to capture what he had to say.

As the cameras rolled, so did Malema. He was in his element, heaping praise on Madikizela-Mandela and slamming the ANC.

He said Madikizela-Mandela had been denied the opportunity to lead the ANC because the party was threatened by her gender, and its women’s league was not brave enough.

This assertion was later echoed by ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) president Bathabile Dlamini, while mourners continued to stream into the Struggle veteran’s home in Orlando West, Soweto.

The buoyant Malema said Madikizela-Mandela was denied the leadership opportunity at the 1997 ANC elective conference in Mahikeng.

She was denied the opportunity on the basis that she was a woman, Malema contended.

“They feared her. Even today they still fear her in death, that’s why they call her names. That’s why they continue to characterise her in the manner that we do not know, but the masses know the truth. We see the people who didn’t want Ma Winnie frequenting this house and playing a leading role.”

Malema said he was watching those individuals, because he was close to the family. “We will continue to advise the family as to what is acceptable.

“We know what Ma Winnie hated. Those who she didn’t want to sit next to her because of the things they did to her, we’ll be monitoring them closely. We’ll whisper into their ears, and if they don’t want to listen, we’ll call them out publicly.

“They must continue to distance themselves,” he said.

Members of the ANC Women’s League sing outside the home of the late Struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in Orlando West, Soweto. Picture: Matthews Baloyi/African News Agency/ANA
This was later echoed by Dlamini, who said Madikizela-Mandela was deprived of the opportunity to be the president of the country because the ANCWL was not yet courageous.

“When she was nominated at the conference, we were not yet brave enough We are now courageous. We now know that Charlotte Maxeke could have been the president of this country,” she said, adding that Lilian Ngoyi and other women could also have led South Africa.

Malema and Dlamini were among several leaders who visited the house throughout the day.

Among them were ministers, businesspeople and opposition party politicians.

Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Thandi Modise gave a glimpse of the mood behind the walls of Madikizela-Mandela’s house.

“It’s a very rich experience,” said Mbete. “When I walked in, Thandi (Modise) was on the floor talking about the time she was (the ANCWL) deputy president to Ma Winnie and she was sharing some of those moments,” Mbete said.

They described the mood as joyful, as mourners reminisced about the time they spent with Madikizela-Mandela. “She was a very complex, sometimes difficult person, but what I can say without hesitation is that she was a great person. One thing about uNomzamo (Madikizela-Mandela), you never doubted where she stood about anything in life.

“She was never a petty person. She would have a fight with you, a disagreement, and after that there were things to be done and she got on with it,” Mbete added.

She said she cried on Monday when she received the news of Madikizela-Mandela’s passing.

“I am a crier. We must allow ourselves to cry at times,” she said.

The Star