Prometheus 6:

April 24, 2003

Y'all need to raise up offa Winnie

Winnie Mandela Found Guilty of Fraud
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 7:53 a.m. ET

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, was convicted Thursday of theft and fraud involving $120,000.

Madikizela-Mandela -- whose financial adviser, Addy Moolman, also was convicted -- could be sentenced to 15 years in jail.

The trial marked the latest setback for Madikizela-Mandela, who had played a role in the nation's successful anti-apartheid campaign led by Nelson Mandela.

. . . Madikizela-Mandela and Moolman had both pleaded innocent to 60 charges of fraud and 25 of theft involving $120,000 at the African National Congress Women's League, which Madikizela-Mandela leads.

The prosecution said letters on organization stationery that bore Madikizela-Mandela's signature were used to fraudulently obtain bank loans in the name of bogus employees, including her daughter, Zinzi.

The theft charges relate to money deducted from the bank accounts of loan applicants for a funeral policy that the prosecution says did not exist.

. . . Madikizela-Mandela is still known to her supporters as "the mother of the nation,'' even though she also was convicted in 1991 of kidnapping and assault, and sentenced to six years in prison. Her appeal saw the sentence reduced to a fine.

Nevertheless, she has been sharply criticized by the African National Congress party, which leads the country.

I find it grimly amusing that Winnie is said to have "played a role" in ending aparthied in SA. I understand the importance of Nelson, but the fact is that importance is as a symbol of both resistance and reconciliation. Winnie was doing the work on the ground all that time. More than likely SOMEbody would have taken up the role she played had she not been there-our roles are determined by circumstance as much as personal decision. But I feel she desrves more than this, better than this.

posted by Prometheus 6 at 4/24/2003 09:26:54 AM |

Posted by P6 at April 24, 2003 09:26 AM | Trackback URL: http://www.prometheus6.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/303

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