Johannesburg: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
on Friday said she never granted an interview to a journalist who
quoted her in a British newspaper as saying her ex-husband
Nelson Mandela had "let down" the blacks.
"I did not give Naipaul an interview. It is therefore not
necessary for me to respond in any detail to the contents of a
fabricated interview," Madikizela-Mandela said in a statement,
referring to Nadira Naipaul, the wife of acclaimed novelist VS
Naipaul.
"I will in the coming days deal with what I see as an
inexplicable attempt to undermine the unity of my family, the
legacy of Nelson Mandela and the high regard with which the
name Mandela is held here and across the globe," she said.
However local media said Madikizela-Mandela spoke to
Naipaul but was unaware the conversation was an interview.
Her scathing comments about the internationally respected
statesman were reported in the London Evening Standard this
week where she was quoted as saying: "Mandela let us down. He
agreed to a bad deal for the blacks."
"Economically, we are still on the outside. The economy
is very much `white`. It has a few token blacks, but so many
who gave their life in the struggle have died unrewarded," the
73-year-old said in the paper.
"This name Mandela is an albatross around the necks of my
family," she said.
Madikizela-Mandela who was currently in United States
said it was not necessary for her to respond "in any detail to
the contents of a fabricated interview."
PTI
