South Africa`s Nelson and Winnie Mandela may have stayed together, so to speak, ”for the sake of the children.” Indeed their marriage, partnership, and, yes, their love helped nurture a political movement and a country through the pain and cruelty of an unjust system.
The Mandelas, who are separating, were a source of inspiration not just to millions of oppressed black South Africans, but to all who identified with their cause and lamented the injustice of their lives.
Now, with a whites-only plebiscite`s mandate for the gradual dismantling of apartheid, the fight for human rights in South Africa may well follow a very different course. Mrs. Mandela`s militancy in the face of the need for negotiation is widely believed to be one key source of disharmony . . . .
For almost 30 years, Nelson and Winnie Mandela were forced to be separate entities – he an apparition, she a reality. His physical absence made it easier for his followers to confer upon him the role of savior. . . .
Meanwhile, Winnie Mandela was the public, vociferous warrior carrying on the battle-not in his stead, but in her own right. In that role, she was a heroine to so many. To many others, however, she was a dictator whose recent trial and conviction for abduction in connection with the killing of a youth had stained the righteousness of her struggle. . . .
But for all that the Mandelas were perceived to be, they were and remain one thing that was all too often obscured: As the sad news of their separation confirms, these two strong-willed people of conscience and commitment are also very, very human.
