Mother of the Nation

Mam’ #WinnieMadikizelaMandela a tribute I have been trying to write for over a week now. I am stuck at #MotherOfTheNation, because saying more would be saying too much and saying less would be saying too little or nothing.

Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela-Mandela you not the Mother of the Nation because you were married to the Father of the Nation, Tata Nelson Mandela.

A mother is someone who loves her children unconditionally, is caring, compassionate but a fearless fighter to defend them.

Mama Winnie was this mother. When the fathers of our nation were incarcerated, it was the mother of our nation who stood up for her children, who took care, showed loved and who was a fearless fighter against injustices.

While we will never know, nor fully understand the pain and scars she had to endure, we can rest assure she never cried to show them she is weak or crack to show she gives up and for that #WinnieMandela won the fight against apartheid.

Her departure comes not only in the year that the world will celebrate the Centenary of Father of the Nation, or 25^th commemoration of the killing of Chris Hani but also in the month and time that many other big trees have fallen: Solomon Mahlangu, Chris Hani, Oliver Tambo, Ahmed Kathrada and, days after Mama Winnie, George Nene and Zola Skweyiya.

The timing of Mama Winnie’s passing is also interesting for me as it is:

- In the month the Group Areas Act was passed,

- 60-Years since the National Party won a general election with a whites-only electorate

- In April 1992 the Mandelas announced their divorce

- It was also in April 2003 that Winnie was convicted and sentence to five years in jail, but Appeal Court changed the sentence to a suspended one, of three-and-a-half years. Despite maintaining her innocence, she was forced to resign from all political positions.

All these events is perhaps the universe telling us why we will never forget the Mother of the Nation.
Lala ngoxolo Mama Winnie

This video is a letter by Mrs Graca Machel, wife of the late Tata Nelson Mandela, to whom she calls Her Little Sister