A COLOURFUL and boisterous horde of African National Congress supporters and high-ranking officials, who included the party’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, converged at the hillside mansion of late Struggle stalwart, Winnie Madikizela, to celebrate what would had been her 86th birthday anniversary – on the Monday afternoon of September 26, 2022.
An unusual posthumous observation of the erstwhile ANC Women’s League leader’s milestone had a throng of mostly elderly women who included a delegation from her church, Methodist, as well as her successor, the now disgraced Bathabile Dlamini and the equally tainted Nomvula Mokonyane, among others, converging inside the anti-apartheid activist’s imposing yard where a marquee was erected and within which a huge cake in the colours of the ANC occupied pride of place adjacent to a sitting area reserved for representatives of Madikizela-Mandela’s family and ANC officials.
Besieged President Ramaphosa had earlier been promptly whisked from a cavalcade and straight into the mansion where he briefly met with Madikizela’s remaining daughter, Zenani, and her daughters, Zaziwe Manaway and Swati Mandela – whilst struggle and gospel songs from the invited women (who included another prominent apparatchik, namely, Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development and Property Management Tasneem Motara) permeated the space for a spirited atmosphere.
Later, the president was accompanied by the trio of family members where, flanked by other officials such as newly-appointed ANC Gauteng Chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, Baleka Mbete, Greater Johannesburg Chairperson, Dada Morero and Ekurhuleni Secretary, Thokozani Nciza – he joined hands with Zenani in the symbolic cutting of a smaller cake shaped in the form of a book, as photographers clicked away!
Winnie’s daughter, Zenani (a former ambassador to Argentina) used the auspicious occasion to announce that her mom’s former abode would be converted into a museum.
On the other hand, during a brief tribute, Ramaphosa – in a rather electioneering sounding tone – had the following to declare regarding the absent celebrant who passed on in 2018: “She walked with the ANC and the ANC was her only party.” Continuing, he said, “Mama Winnie was a strong, brave and courageous woman.” “She was courageous, and that is why Comrade Nelson Mandela was attracted to her.”
The South African president, albeit dressed in ANC regalia at the event, had earlier provoked the collective mirth of the overwhelming females present by inferring that former Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane had invited him along to “have cake!” flashing a knowing boyish smile in front of television cameras and members of his security detail – he promptly corrected the context of his utterance amidst raucous laughter all around!
Still later on in the Spring afternoon, Ramaphosa joined the three family members outside the entrance to the yard, to observe the hoisting of both the Republic’s and ANC flag. Zenani, the orphan who also lost her younger sibling, Zindziswa, stood – donning a facial mask – whilst fixing a solemn gaze skywards as the flags were being pulled up poles.
The day culminated in the president and his large entourage walking down the street to an open space where a mobile stage branded with his images and those of his party was stationed and surrounded by yet more members waiting in anticipation to be addressed.
There, on a recently cleared ground, Ramaphosa assumed a campaigning mood ahead of the highly-contested party conference in December!
All images by Jacob MAWELA( Zenani Mandela, Pres Cyril Ramphosa, TK Nciza, Panyaza Lesufi, recorded cutting a cake on what could had been Winnie Madikizela- Mandela’s 86th birthday, in Orlando West).
