By Olakunle Agboola – In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a great Icon left a huge footprint in South Africa and Africa at large. She would not be forgotten in a hurry with her intense war to end the apartheid alongside her late husband, Nelson Mandela. The mother of nation as she is popularly called, died at the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg on 2nd April 2018 at the age of 81. She suffered from diabetes and had recently undergone several major surgeries before she eventually gave up the ghost.
The death of Winnie Mandela shook not only South African but also the rest of the world, as Hundreds of red-clad supporters of the radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters marched to Madikizela-Mandela’s home in the Johannesburg township of Soweto to pay her homage.
Julius Malema, who heads the EFF, was once a staunch member of the ruling African National Congress party, to which Nelson Mandela and his ex-wife Madikizela-Mandela belonged. However, he remained friends with the latter after quitting to form his own party. Malema visited the home in Soweto, lauding Madikizela-Mandela’s contribution to South Africa’s liberation struggle, and noting that the EFF, were “never ashamed of her”.
Madikizela-Mandela was a controversial figure, at one time afforded heroine status for her courage during Mandela’s 27-year incarceration, but later demonized for how far she was prepared to go in the struggle for liberation. Winnie fought for the captive citizen, as she became the face and voice of Nelson Mandela while he was in the prison. She freed South Africa from the shackles of white obnoxious rule, which ended in the early nineties. Winnie exhibited unbarred leadership and strength of character by providing leadership for a people under economic and political bondage to the land of freedom.
The journey to freedom with Winnie Mandela was not an easy task. She survived – during more than 35 years of apartheid – surveillance, threats, harassment, arrest and imprisonment, 491 days in solitary confinement and eight years in exile. The methods of torture used against her included; according to one account, denying her sanitary products such that she was found in detention, covered in her own menstrual blood. Winnie developed a thick skin and buried herself in the vision she was ready to die for. She displayed to the whole world the most admirable strength of character, as she valiantly stood for her husband and the African National Congress (ANC) Movement and, in the process, assumed the stature of an icon of resistance to the evil of apartheid.
The world also watched with horror how Winnie, after the release of her husband from prison, suffered awfully in the hands of her detractors who relentlessly continued to assassinate her character. Consequently, not only was Winnie unable to savour the affection in resuming the companionship, her marriage was tragically shattered. It is clear that only the toughness of Winnie’s personal constitution had sustained her from disintegrating into a nervous wreck. “But Winnie’s commitment to the ANC as well as her devotion to serving the cause of the underprivileged remained undiminished.
Many political leaders across the world sent condolence messages and beautiful eulogy to Winnie Mandela praising her for living larger than herself. Her burial brought South Africa to a still, as world leaders flew in to bid the mother of nation a farewell. Winnie lived a great life of service and if for nothing laid the brick of modern day South Africa. Her life is worthy of emulation by leaders, especially the politicians who sees politics as a business venture looting the national treasury not knowing it is a service to humanity.
The political space in Africa will take a new shape if all politicians can learn from Winnie Mandela whom in all stood for the liberation and welfare of the people. She was loyal to her party (ANC) and cross carpeting from one party to another as popular among Nigeria politicians never at one time crossed her mind, she rather stuck with her party in thick and thin to the end. The political life of Winnie Mandela is worthy of emulation and should be a great lesson to all politicians; especially those who plan to outlive themselves. Rest on Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Kindly follow us on twitter:@AfricanVoice2
