New Netflix documentary reexamines Winnie Mandela's divisive legacy

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Africa New Netflix documentary reexamines Winnie Mandela's divisive legacy Updated May 2, 2026 6:00 AM ET Originally published May 2, 2026 6:00 AM ET By Kate Bartlett Winnie Mandela raises her fist during the funeral for 17 people who were killed during fierce rioting on Wed. March 5, 1986 in Johannesburg's Alexandra township. AP hide caption toggle caption AP JOHANNESBURG, South Africa —Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of the most revered —and controversial — women in South African history, but to her grandchildren the anti-apartheid icon was always just their beloved 'Big Mommy.

' Now two of Mandela's granddaughters are reexamining her divisive legacy in a new Netflix documentary series called The Trials of Winnie Mandela , currently only available in Africa. In the trailer for the series, sisters Princess Swati Dlamini-Mandela and Princess Zaziwe Mandela-Manaway acknowledge they have set themselves a hard task, asking "How do you ask your grandmother, are you a murderer, are you a kidnapper? '" Sponsor Message But they think they managed to present an unbiased portrayal of Winnie in the series.

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"I'm so proud of this work, because it is not just a myopic view of a person that we love, but also who is complex, and has had a complex history," says Dlamini-Mandela, 47. While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon – having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid – his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned. That's because Winnie is accused of encouraging some of the worst Black-on-Black violence in the townships during apartheid in the 1980's.

A gang of youths associated with her, called the Mandela United Football Club, were responsible for vigilante abductions and killings of those suspected of being government informers – even children. In 1997, she appeared in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission established by the new government to investigate crimes committed during apartheid. After being pressed by the Desmond Tutu, who led the commission, she said: "Things went horribly wrong…for that I am deeply sorry.

" The commission found her "politically and morally accountable" for the crimes committed by her gang of bodyguards. FILE: Winnie Mandela carries the coffin of Clayton Sithole in Soweto, Feb. 10, 1990 — hours before learning Nelson Mandela would be freed from prison.

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Sithole, boyfriend of her daughter Zinzi Mandela, died in police custody. Grag English/AP hide caption toggle caption Grag English/AP Even though the Netflix show is only being released now, filming of the documentary started before Winnie's death in 2018 aged 81. So she gets to answer for herself.

Sponsor Message "Our grandfather's painted as a saint, and our grandmother's painted as a sinner," Dlamini-Mandela says. "And we ask her that question…what do you think about that?

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.