Gwede Mantashe moans that funerals shouldn’t be about fighting

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe took to Twitter to complain that funerals should not be about conflict, which to some extent saw itself playing out on Saturday at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Madikizela-Mandela’s daughter Zenani had given a fiery speech in which she lashed out at some of her mother’s critics, calling them hypocrites, while EFF leader Julius Malema excoriated “sellouts” in the ANC’s front organisation, the United Democratic Front and those who had betrayed Mama Winnie in the ANC Women’s League.

Addressing funeral attendees at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Malema told ANC leaders it was funny that ANC and UDF “sellouts” were unashamedly attending the funeral and crying the loudest for her now that she was dead.

According to Malema, in the 1980s the United Democratic Front (UDF), the banned ANC’s front organisation, called a press conference to distance itself from Madikizela-Mandela.

“Mama, the UDF cabal that rejected you is here, they called a press conference to dissociate themselves from you. But you were never a member of the UDF, you were the only one who pronounced as the ANC,” Malema said.

The ANC Women’s League also did not escape Malema’s sharp tongue. He said some in the league refused to be led by Madikizela-Mandela and rejected her because they regarded her as a “criminal”.

Similarly, the ANC also prevented the struggle stalwart from speaking at the funeral of late former ANC Youth League president and party NEC member Peter Mokaba, although she was the president of the ANCWL and the league was on the funeral programme that day.

He said the EFF would wait for a signal from Madikizela-Mandela to tell them what they should do about those who had rejected and sold her out.

He alluded to the fact that their mother was ill-treated by the apartheid authorities and that her children suffered under the same system.

“The EFF leadership is here because they proudly associate with you,” Malema said.

Mantashe, who also gave a speech at the event, however, appeared unamused.

He wrote on Twitter that: “It is a worse thing to do to use funerals to fight battles. They r about celebrating the lives of those who departed. It is about mourning.”

It is a worse thing to do to use funerals to fight battles. They r about celebrating the lives of those who departed. It is about mourning

— Gwede Mantashe (@GwedeMantashe1) April 14, 2018

Floyd Shivambu, the EFF’s deputy president, said Mantashe was politically backward ideologically and poor in his thinking. He said politicians were mourned through even more politics.

That’s pure political and ideological backwardness and poverty Mr. Mantashe. Real Freedom Fighters are commemorated and celebrated through politics. The morning of politicians happen through politics. But well, you will never know. We don’t expect you to know. https://t.co/EldbQf46py

— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) April 14, 2018

Watch Mantashe’s short speech at Orlando Stadium below:

Gwede Mantashe address the mourners pic.twitter.com/WOX5v4R8fC

— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 14, 2018