Johannesburg - ANC in Joburg accused the DA-led Joburg metro of refusing to expedite processes to rename the road and the stadium after the late freedom fighter, despite council approval for the move.
This was as the country commemorated the first anniversary of Madikizela-Mandela’s death. On Tuesday, her immediate family held a brief commemoration ceremony at her gravesite at the Fourways Memorial Park.
EFF leader Julius Malema was among the few guests.
ANC Joburg spokesperson Jolidee Matongo said the DA had unsuccessfully tried to block a motion to have the road and stadium named after Madikizela- Mandela when they were tabled for debate and approval last year.
“We were supported by other parties and the motion went ahead and was approved in council, but there has been no movement to ensure that the process is going ahead,” Matongo said.
DA chief whip Kevin Wax said he no longer had recollection of the motion, adding that member of the mayoral committee for community development Nonhlanhla Sifumba had the answers. Sifumba could not be reached for comment.
Yesterday, the EFF hailed Madiki- zela-Mandela as a towering figure in the fight for freedom who had put her life on the line for liberation and the emancipation of women.
EFF national spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said she had represented the idea of a strong, independent woman, who was a threat to patriarchal attitudes.
“In her memory we reiterate that we shall never rest until the attainment of total freedom for black people, particularly the return of the land. In her memory we shall continue to fight against patriarchy and toxic masculinities that deny women, particularly African women, recognition and space to be fully human,” Ndlozi said.
ANC and EFF members and others took to social media, with some wearing doeks to celebrate her life.
Ndlozi took a swipe at the ANC over the renaming of Cape Town International Airport: “The people of South Africa must remember that when the EFF raised a motion in Parliament that Cape Town International Airport be renamed after Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, it was the ANC that led the charge to reject it.”
In a statement, the ANC said the party was "on the mend" and moving away from a destructive trajectory.
“Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a voice of courage, hope, encouragement and a deep love of our country and all its people, left us a year ago. It has been a year of commissions of inquiry to look into the dark roots of all things corrupt. It has been a year of change and renewal for the ANC as it faced the probing eyes of the country,” the party said.
The ANC described Madikizela-Mandela as a complex yet kind figure who was the indomitable spirit of poor, oppressed and voiceless people.