ANC Women’s League is back and has ‘learnt from mistakes’

The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) “hasn’t done enough but has learnt from it’s mistakes” and will carry the ANC as whole ahead of the 29 May general election.

Speaking outside the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s house in Orlando West, where members gathered yesterday to celebrate her death, ANCWL president Sisisi Tolashe said the league’s machinery was now oiled.

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“We are on the ground here in Gauteng on a daily basis. The members are going door-to-door extensively to listen to our people, hear their problems, resolve them immediately, give hope and make them to understand that the ANC still is there for them,” she said.

“We have our manifesto. We’ll do exactly what we said we’re going to do. We’re going to be even more agile than we were the past 30 years. We’ve done a lot for South Africans.”

Tolashe said the organisation was aware it had not done enough but was committed to resolving a lot of the mistakes.

“We were already on some of them in making sure that they are resolved. We are very present – in high numbers actually – in all nine provinces,” Tolashe said.

“We have even agreed that we should launch the Winnie Mandela volunteers because we want our people to be stronger, firmer and to have spirit.”

Madikizela-Mandela died on 2 April, 2018, at a Johannesburg hospital at the age of 81.

ANCWL members, family and friends of Madikizela-Mandela were seen in numbers, draped in ANC colours, as well as in Madikizela-Mandela T-shirts.

Tolashe said the organisation wanted to continue to celebrate the life she lived under very difficult circumstances.

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“Today we are here to celebrate the life of Mama Winnie. As a woman, a member of the ANC, a leader and as a complete woman who under very difficult circumstances fought the most vicious system and fought it alone and collectively with her people – we have come to say to her fight was not in vain,” Tolashe said.

“We came to also call upon her spirit to be with us, especially going into the 2024 elections.

“We are sure that all the spirit of our leaders will be with us. But hers in particular, because she was such a brave woman. We want her braveness,” Tolashe said.

“On 29 May, we want her people to go and vote once again. The ANC is their organisation. It exists solely for serving them.”

However, a community member who requested anonymity, said the woman’s league has not said anything to them as residents, nor paid them a visit.

The resident lived less than 100m from Madikizela-Mandela’s house.

“We have been inside our houses and heard loud music and cheering and then we saw that an event is happening,” she said.

“There are cars parked outside our houses but we don’t even know what is going on.

“They haven’t set foot here. Maybe they went to other houses…”