THURSDAY, 10.00AM:
WINNIE Madikizela-Mandela finally took the stand at the truth commission on Thursday, arriving surrounded by bodyguards after a bomb threat against her on Wednesday night. Read our full report on today’s hearings, updated throughout the day.
Madikizela-Mandela told the hearing that she first heard about the death of teenage activist Stompie Seipei when she read about it in the newspapers, and dismissed claims that she ordered his death as “ludicrous and lunacy”.
Led by her lawyer Ishmael Semenya through lists of allegations against her, she denied each in turn, often describing them as “ridiculous”. She also said she had been a victim of a campaign to discredit her by journalists who were paid informers of the security police.
Under cross-examination by TRC lawyer Hanif Vally, she continued her strong denials, with the facade only beginning to crack when probed on her involvement in the kidnapping of teen activists from Verryn’s Soweto Methodist Manse. In reply to a question from Vally, she denied being part of any plan to remove the boys from the manse.
Vally then quoted from her maiden speech to Parliament, where she said she “immediately fell in with the plan” to “rescue” the youths. At this, Madikizela-Mandela fumbled for words, before saying that she thought she had meant she had been involved in taking the youths from her own house.