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Since the knifing news of your passing: our tears have run out of ideas Magrieza van Ons.
Shall we cry or just but sigh for you Zanyiwe: when we know that ubaba Columbus wished you were born a boy to win the stick fights of Bizana as a feed to his royal masculine ego.
Little did he know that your spirit was larger than that of Okonko in his defeat of Amalinze the cat. Yours was one to lead the people’s fight against oppression and years of humiliation.
Like the mugs of water on the bedside of King Solomon, your heresy against apartheid quenched our thirst in moments of dry throats in the middle of political nightness.
Your chapter is finally written in the global vintage book of revolutionary feminism. When Anne Sexton penned her ink on rusty paper in celebration of her uterus your ilk had its blood spilled in the dusty streets of my country as you broke skin in battle to fight for us.
When political prisoners languished in jail and the rest of the movement was organising itself for insurrection out of the country.It is you who lit the candle that gave us light in the darkest of hour of need.
From Peter Mokaba to Solly Bokaba – Ramoshwana to Raletsatsi. From Gugulethu to Soweto – it is under your motherly skirt that the fiery youth of this country hid from the bullies of the oppressive regime and its death squads.
You turned their teargas into perfume that we wore with pride, their jail cells into hotels that we all looked forward to occupy in a spirit of undying defiance.
Your unshakeable wall demystified fear in the reign of terror with your unwavering lessons of bravery.
Look at us all now child of Madikizela: we can walk tall into corridors of power and talk truth to modern dictators with confidence because of your profound teachings.
Look at us all now Nomzamo: we do not fear death, instead death fears us because your spirit is one with our being.
Our last request before your conquest of the heavens: is that you cheat the rules of death and sleep with your eyes open to watch over us.
Watch over us with those moonly eyes as we take over your baton to rid this country of askaris that worry us – for they are all disguised as people’s warriors. When some of us know that these are wolves in sheep skins that steal from our people in skinny suits to disguise their loot.
We thank the mighty Pondo people for sharing your indomitable soul with us.A soul that was never suppressed by periodic banishment and regular imprisonment.
Oh Mama Winnie, you are a true winner of many prizes in our eyes.You return to the soil with the dignity of a lioness to its children from a successful hunt.
Your memory will certainly live forever in the heart of our hearts because your footsteps are indelibly imprinted in the sands of timeless time.
Robala ka kagiso Morwadi-a-Madikizela.Ga masa a sele, o re sadisetse ditsididi.
Lala ngoxolo Mangutyana!!!
• Magogodi is an ANC member, actor, writer and cultural activist
