Cape Town - Mayor Patricia de Lille and Artscape chief executive Marlene le Roux were in tears as they paid tribute to Struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, hailing her as a heroine with a big heart who fought for the poorest of the poor.
De Lille and Le Roux visited St George’s Cathedral to pay their respects to the late maWinnie yesterday.
A memorial will be held
at St George’s Cathedral in Wale Street tomorrow.
Tributes continued pouring in for Madikizela-Mandela, who passed away on Monday.
“She will always be remembered as this heroine. She was so strong. One thing I admired her for was her determination.
“She was a real symbol of resistance. She didn’t give up. For us today with her passing and many of her generation not with us any more, we have to recommit ourselves that we will continue to make sure that the values and freedom they fought for in the Struggle can be made a reality for more South Africans, especially the poorest of the poor,” said
De Lille.
“I used to bump into Mama Winnie in many of the informal settlements, and that is where her heart was, a voice for the voiceless.
”She was always friendly and lovable. She had a big heart,” she said.
De Lille added that she learnt a lot from maWinnie.
“When we became members of Parliament together for the first time in 1994, we became good friends and we always used to talk about being inside Parliament.
“The system that we fought against all our lives, and now being part of the system, and how difficult it was psychologically to adjust to that being part of the system.”
She said she was still in shock and had requested the City to lower all its flags at City-owned buildings in honour of maWinnie until after the funeral.
The official funeral service will be held on April 14.
De Lille recalled as her fondest memory the day maWinnie made her maiden speech in Parliament in 1994. “We were sitting together. She said to me: ‘Must I write a speech; can’t I just go up and speak?’
“I said: ‘The choice is yours.’ Even though we did the speech together, when she got into Parliament and delivered that speech, it just came out naturally, and that is how we knew her: this big heart with no pretence; what you see is what you get,” De Lille said.
Le Roux described maWinnie as an iconic woman who stood up for the rights of young women, and especially the poor.
“We must celebrate her legacy, but it can only be celebrated if we take the plight of the poor forward,” she said.
Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, said: “We wish to express our condolences on the passing of maWinnie Winifred Nomzamo Madikizela. South Africa mourns the passing of a stalwart and veteran of the Struggle for liberation.
“We wish the children, grandchildren and family strength and solace in this hour of loss. May her soul rest in peace.”
Executive chairman of Independent Media Dr Iqbal Survé said: “I am deeply
saddened by the passing of Mama Winnie.
“She is an icon of our liberation Struggle.
“The apartheid state attempted to silence her, but they never could, no matter how hard they tried. Now her voice will echo for ever.
“She will always be an inspiration to all freedom-loving people as we continue the struggle for the full liberation of our country.
“Long live her fighting spirit,” he said.