Welcome to Canada

[maycm]

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has denied a visa to South African anti-apartheid leader Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who was to be the keynote speaker at a fund-raising gala in Toronto on Tuesday, featuring an opera about her life.

Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, had packed her bags and was about to set out for the airport when the Canadian embassy notified her that she would not be allowed to enter the country, organizers of the Toronto event said.

"No reason was given," said Carole Adrianns, event director for MusicaNoir, an organization that raises awareness about Africa through cultural projects. "The Mandela family was very, very confident that they were getting the visa," she said.

Immigration officials in Ottawa were not immediately available to comment.

Adrianns said she was especially "blown away" by the visa denial because Madikizela-Mandela had just been to New York on May 19 to receive an award for her work on AIDS. "It would just have been such an honor to have her there for us," she said.

The 70-year-old Madikizela-Mandela, who rose to heroine status as a fearsome opponent of South Africa's apartheid regime, became a controversial figure because of her 1991 conviction in the death of a 14-year-old activist.

She also had a public falling-out with her husband after he formed a new government in 1995. They were divorced a year later.

But she still remains a symbol for many because of her battle against apartheid while Nelson Mandela languished in jail for 27 years until his historic release in 1990.

The Toronto event Madikizela-Mandela was to attend will include excerpts from a multimedia opera called "The Passion of Winnie," a creation of composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen, and filmmaker Warren Wilensky.

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They're mad I tells ye!

[faceless]

It's odd that America let her in but they wouldn't.

[eefanincan]

[major.tom]

I can only guess that this is the result of a move to the right in our federal gov't.

But it also raises the issue of how accountable such decisions are. I remember being flabergasted when Yousef Islam was denied entry to the U.S..

The two cases are equally puzzling, leading me to suspect they're nothing more than posturing by "the authorities" (ie. some appointed pencil pusher with connections to the gov't).

[faceless]

I must admit that I've never been convinced of Winnie's character since the case with the 14 yr old that was murdered. On checking that story I found this:



Maybe it's all just propaganda, but it's a tough call. If it is true I wouldn't welcome her myself.

[major.tom]

Granted, that website doesn't look very "professional," (not that I implicitly trust professional-looking news sites -- you know what propaganda those can impart). But it makes me want to do a little more research of my own.

If it turns out that she was convicted of murder and her sentence was reduced to a mere fine, that would be enough for me to agree -- not welcome.

[maycm]

The Canadian government should state for the record exactly what their reasons are for denying a Visa. This decision must have come from the highest levels one would have thought.

Lack of an explanation just increases wild speculation and heightens the visibility of the story.

[major.tom]

In the interest of openness, maycm, I agree entirely. If they're not forthcoming, I don't doubt that a Freedom of Information Act request should produce the details.

[6ULDV8]

She's (Winnie Madikizela-Mandela) the reason my mother was almost HUNG for treason in 1979 & why I was deported from S A along with my mother & sister.

We supported the 'cause' via donations, even hid the woman on our vinyard...

Then the bitch went crazy, started killing people who opposed her, tourtured people by hanging burning tires around their necks, hacking off peoples limbs...
Her so called "Soccer Team" were nothing but a bunch of blood thirsty thugs dressed in a soccer uniform.

We pulled all her funding when she started to pull this shit, to save her own neck she 'informed' on my mother...

This woman (Winnie Madikizela-Mandela) should burn in hell.

[maycm]

Holy crap I learned a lot from the last few posts.

Just goes to show how a reputaution can be superficial based on her association with her ex-hubby.

Sounds like she's a real piece of work. Denying her a Visa could result in either bad publicity for the Canadian government (assuming they don't disclose why) and/or prompt discussions such as this one where the 'real' story comes out.

The losers of course are the fund raisers at the charitable event she was going to, though it's not clear who the charity was, unless it was Winne herself.

[alan1254]

yep nothing but a backward tribal thug , her husband must have been so let down by this woman

[SpursFan1902]

She certainly didn't learn anything from him.

[eefanincan]

[major.tom]

This doesn't offer much more detail on the Winnie Mandella case, but the CBC's website recently added a small interactive list of people recently denied entry visas.

[nekokate]

I was about to comment on Winnie's "football team", but 6ULDV8 pretty much said it all. I wouldn't want her anywhere near my country. If they demand that the Canadian authorities give a reason for the Visa denial, a suitable response from them might be "open a fucking history book".