NATIONAL NEWS -
Neighbours of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela have continued to pay their respects to her family at her Orlando West, Soweto, home, describing her as, among other things, having a “very big heart”.
But they have also described the hardship she endured during her fight for a democratic South Africa. Above all, she still remained a people’s person, they said.
Barbara Mathews-Manthata, who grew up a street away from Madikizela-Mandela, said she was able to “see Winnie’s heart” during her visits to her home.
“Winnie, to us, was a combination of a sister, a mother, a comrade, a social worker, a person with a very big heart; a person who had empathy for those who were less fortunate than her. People did social work, I suppose, as a profession but for her, it really was something that came from her heart,” said Mathews-Manthata.
“I remember her when she worked at child welfare … she used to place children in different homes of people in our area. She really inspired us. She was not a politician up there [in parliament], she was a politician within society.”
Mathews-Manthata said Madikizela-Mandela could associate with the “lowest of the lowest”.
“Her actions were much louder than anything. She was able to mix with people from different levels of society … so, we’ve really lost someone. As they say, a tree has fallen. Indeed. I want to add that a huge tree has fallen.”
