'Winnie Mandela joined ANC to serve the people'

Potgieter-Gqubule was speaking at the Winnie Mandela Memorial Lecture held in Soweto, south of Johannesburg on Thursday.

The memorial lecture was organised by the ANC Youth League in Gauteng.

Potgieter-Gqubule said Madikizela-Mandela was politically aware  before she met her former husband, Nelson Mandela.

"You can talk about the struggle of young people in the last 60 years, comrade Winnie Mandela was there," says Potgieter-Gqubule.

She said Madikizela-Mandela saw and experienced racism when she was a student in Bizana in the Eastern Cape. 

"When black people, older people were treated because of the colour of their skin. She saw something was wrong here, and that inspired her to be a social worker."

She adds by the time Madikizela-Mandela moved to Johannesburg in the 1940's and 1950's she had already developed her political consciousness.

Potgieter-Gqubule says when Madikizela-Mandela worked Baragwanath Hospital she experienced racism even though the majority of the staff was black.

"But it was run by white people and she was the first black social worker who was employed there. She experienced racism on a day to day basis."

Potgieter-Gqubule says these experiences compelled Madikizela-Mandela to join the ANC, where she met Albertina Sisulu and Mandela.

She says it is important for the youth to carry forward Madikizela-Mandela’s legacy. 

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