Graca mourns her ‘big sister’ Winnie . . . ‘She should have been appreciated more when alive’

Nelson Mandela’s widow‚ Graca Machel‚ paid an emotional tribute to her “big sister”‚ the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela‚ yesterday at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg.

Machel painted a picture of how wonderful it would have been for Mama Madikizela-Mandela to have heard all the praises while she was still alive.

She acknowledged that she had not yet fully processed the pain she was going through following the loss of the liberation struggle icon.

“It is too early‚ really too early for us to be able to process the pain we are going through. As a nation‚ we tend to wake up‚ to realise who are the people who have made us as a nation‚ people who sacrificed so much for us. We tend only to wake up and to recognise them when they leave‚” said Machel.

In a teary tribute‚ she spoke of the how South Africa could have done better to honour the mother of the nation while she was still alive.

“Can you imagine‚ how wonderful it would have been for Mama to sit amongst us‚ to listen to all those tributes which have been outpouring . . . Don’t you think it would have been only fair that she would hear‚ and listen from all segments of our society who united and they forgot all the small differences and came together simply as her children and told her ‘mama‚ we love you’‚ don’t you think it would have been so wonderful?

“Don’t you think it would have been great for her to have all the untruths that were allowed to live with us about her life to be cleared while she is still amongst us‚” Machel said.

Machel said she was highlighting the importance of appreciating people while they were still alive because she was not sure if Mama was “absorbing” all the heartfelt tributes.

Meanwhile, the ANC has officially launched a tribute wall on which the general public will be able to honour the late Madikizela-Mandela.

Machel was speaking at the Nelson Mandela Foundation tribute on a day that would have marked the countdown to Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday.

Ndileka Mandela, who could not conceal her tears, said she and other family members were still gutted about Madikizela-Mandela’s death as “in life‚ she got a raw deal”.

She said as a family they still needed her.

Speaking at the event‚ Fees Must Fall activist Naledi Chirwa gave a feminist take on to how the legacy of Mama Winnie could be honoured.

“Black women still can’t breathe‚ we can’t breathe in our own homes‚ in the corporate world‚ political spaces‚ taxi ranks‚ we can’t breathe!‚” said Chirwa.

Chirwa referred to the persistent gender wage inequality and said that unless that was addressed‚ the country was not serious about preserving Madikizela-Mandela’s legacy.

“We would ensure that sanitary towels are not a dream for some girls; we would ensure safe abortions are available. We would ensure that queer women don’t have to pay with their lives to exist. We would ensure there is a sex court for sex crimes for women who have been raped. We are tired of rape crimes being treated the same as cell phone thuggery‚” she said.

A monumental photographic exhibition in her memory will be erected at Constitutional Hill. It will be open to the public from 5.30pm on Thursday.

Madikizela-Mandela will be buried on Saturday, Gwede Mantashe said it wouldn’t be Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral without a bit of chaos.

The Mineral Resources Minister was speaking yesterday during a memorial service for Madikizela-Mandela in Brandfort in the Free State.

“That’s Winnie’s character‚ it was chaos.”

Madikizela-Mandela was banished to Brandfort from 1977 to 1986.

Mantashe said there was no reason to mourn Madikizela-Mandela’s death.

“Winnie has done everything that should be done by a human being. She has done everything.”

Mantashe said Madikizela-Mandela becoming the first black social worker showed she defied “all odds from a very young age”.

“She was the first black medical social worker. That is the first defiance of the odds‚” Mantashe said.

A graffiti artwork in memory of the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was unveiled on the side of a building in Cape Town yesterday.

“She must invade the space that was actually reserved for men . . . She invaded the space that was preserved for white social workers.”

Mantashe said Madikizela-Mandela marrying former president Nelson Mandela showed her character and commitment to fighting apartheid.

“The decision in itself was a big decision‚ because she got married to the trouble itself … That is a major decision. It reflects the character of the person.”

Mantashe said Madikizela-Mandela was in the “belly of the beast” in the struggle against apartheid.

“Generals sit in (the) headquarters and develop the war plan. Then the commanders must attempt that war plan in the operation. Winnie was in that situation.”

Madikizela-Mandela died last week Monday at the age of 81 at the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. – Times Live