OWN CORRESPONDENT, Gauteng | Sunday 9.00pm.
SOMEBODY is stalking Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the Sunday Times has reported.
Madikizela-Mandela, president of the African National Congress Women’s League, said intruders broke into her home in Orlando West, Soweto, on Thursday night and, for the third time, rifled through her bedroom, but took nothing. They sneaked over the wall and got into the house in spite of two bodyguards who were on patrol.
“It appears they were looking for something,” she said.
The intruders got in without breaking the locked door. They broke the lock on Madikizela-Mandela’s wardrobe and emptied her clothes onto the floor, and also apparently searched in the ceiling of the house.
Madikizela-Mandela said: “If this had happened seven years ago I would have known who was behind it. But the ANC government now rules, the government I helped put there. We need to know to whom these people report.”
Her chief of security, Sipho Zimba, said Madikizela-Mandela was “followed every day” by various vehicles. “It happens every day. We are used to it. We were followed Friday. It is always by different cars,” he said. “We know we are under surveillance but we don’t know by whom.”
Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Mandla Hlakula said that whoever had broken into the house was familiar with the house and was highly trained.
Gauteng Safety and Security MiEC Paul Mashatile said a decision on whether to beef up security at the house will be taken once a full police report has been submitted. “There is already full-time security there,” he said, “although we don’t know how the intruder eluded them.”