Winnie Mandela is still talked about in South Africa. The former anti-apartheid activist and wife of President Nelson Mandela, who died in 2018, would have been 87 years old on Tuesday September 26. His name will be given to the largest boulevard in Johannesburg.
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With our correspondent in South Africa, Roman Song
To celebrate her posthumous birthday – she died in 2018 – the city of Johannesburg renamed a major avenue in her name in place of William Nicol, the administrator of the former Transvaal province under the apartheid regime. Having been on the ground when Nelson Mandela was in prison, Winnie Mandela retains a special place in the hearts of activists. But this change of name is not to the taste of the opposition.
“ The mother of all soldiers »
Veterans of the former armed wing of the ruling ANC party sing in honor of Winnie Mandela. Jabulani Nhlapo admires this fighter: “ She is the mother of the Revolution, we appreciate her more than Nelson Mandela, Winnie, she was the mother of all soldiers. »
Radical activist, Winnie Mandela was blamed for her brutality, including assassinations. She was also convicted of fraud. He is a personality with two faces, but for Kabelo Gwamanda, the mayor of Johannesburg, of the Muslim party Al Jama-ah, he is first and foremost a model: “ It all depends on what you consider to be controversial, it’s a matter of interpretation but for me, who grew up admiring her courage for standing up to those in power, I see her as a hero. »
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Activists from the ANC and the EFF participated in the inauguration of Winnie-Mandela Avenue, unlike the Democratic Alliance which opposed this name change. The conservative party sees this as an erasure of history and a budgetary mismanagement, “ let’s repair the roads before renaming them » said the party.
We also learned yesterday, Tuesday September 26, of the death of Zoleka Mandela, granddaughter of Winnie and Nelson Mandela. She died of cancer at the age of 43. She was known for opening up about her battle with addictions and cancer in an autobiographical book.
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