Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is born in Mbongweni, near Bizana in Pondoland
Nomzamo Winifred Madikizela was born in the village of Mbongweni in the Bizana district of the Eastern Cape. She became one of the best-known and most debated figures of the struggle against apartheid.
Photo: Rotational · Public domain
Winnie Madikizela was born on 26 September 1936 at Mbongweni, a village in the Bizana district of Pondoland, to parents who were both teachers. She trained in Johannesburg and became the first qualified Black medical social worker at Baragwanath Hospital. In 1958 she married Nelson Mandela.
After his imprisonment she was repeatedly banned and detained, including 17 months in 1969 and 1970, most of it in solitary confinement. From 1977 to 1986 she was banished to Brandfort in the Free State. Many South Africans came to call her "Mother of the Nation".
After her return to Soweto, the Mandela United Football Club around her was linked to serious violence. In 1989 the Mass Democratic Movement distanced itself from her, and in 1991 she was convicted of kidnapping. In 1998 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission found her politically and morally accountable for gross human rights violations by the club. She later served as an MP and died on 2 April 2018.
Why it matters
Her defiance under banning and banishment made her an international symbol of resistance, while the TRC findings about the football club remain part of an honest account of her life.
- Source: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, South African History Online · Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (26 September 1936 to 2 April 2018), Nelson Mandela Foundation · SAPA, 29 October 1998: TRC report findings on political leaders (Mandela United Football Club), Department of Justice TRC archive · SAPA, 27 November 1997: MDM distanced itself from Winnie, Department of Justice TRC archive · Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: a timeline, Vuk'uzenzele (GCIS)
Where it happened
Mbongweni village, Bizana (Mbizana) district
She was born at Mbongweni, a rural village in the Bizana district. The exact position of the village could not be verified, so the circle is centred on Bizana town and covers the surrounding district rather than marking a house or village centre.
-
Where it happened Area
Mbongweni village, Bizana (Mbizana) district
She was born at Mbongweni, a rural village in the Bizana district. The exact position of the village could not be verified, so the circle is centred on Bizana town and covers the surrounding district rather than marking a house or village centre.
