WINNIE VS NELSON

Today marks six years since South African liberation icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela passed away at 81.

Too often, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is remembered as 'Nelson Mandela's wife.' That is only one part of her legacy. Winnie Mandela was a freedom fighter and organiser who was, in many ways, more uncompromising than Nelson. Winnie, too, was a political prisoner during the anti-apartheid struggle, including a brief sentence she served while pregnant. Her position was that African people must free ourselves by any means necessary. Winnie unwavered on oppressed peoples having a right to use revolutionary violence in the face of colonial exploitative violence. This led to a growing distance between her and the African National Congress (ANC) during the 1990s. She also believed that land in Azania (a name to describe parts of southern Africa, including South Africa) and Zimbabwe must be redistributed to African peoples. Winnie spoke out at a time when Nelson Mandela felt the need to compromise on the land question, which has led to perpetual inequality and prolonged settler colonialism.

In her own words, 'I have a good relationship with Mandela. But I am not Mandela’s product. I am the product of the masses of my country and the product of my enemy.'

In this 29 November 1993 lecture given at Kean College in New Jersey (USA), Pan-Africanist and former Nation of Islam leader Khalid Muhammad railed against Nelson and expressed his support for Winnie.

Let us know what you think of Muhammad's remarks.