The Trials of Winnie Mandela — Season 1, Episode 2: Chapter 2: ZANYIWE - To Be Tested (1977-1988)

Episode synopsis

Banished to the white conservative town of Brandfort, Winnie is isolated from her family and the movement she represents. Yet exile strengthens her myth. Against all odds she continues her political activity and becomes known around the world as the “Mother of the Nation.” After nine years of enforced silence and loneliness, she defies her banning order and returns to Soweto—angry, damaged, and defiant. Around her, the Mandela United Football Club is formed, with Winnie at its helm. Football is not their purpose. Loyalty, protection and power begin to converge. Watching the myth grow and the circle tighten, Swati and Zaziwe ask: when does leadership become something else entirely?

About The Trials of Winnie Mandela

Directed by the late, two-time Emmy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, the series unfolds from the perspective of Madikizela-Mandela’s granddaughters, HRH Princess Zaziwe Manaway (née Dlamini) and HRH Princess Swati Mandela-Dlamini, who is also credited as a producer, as they set out to find the essence of their iconic grandmother, affectionately known to them as ‘Big Mommy’. Through their journey, the story pieces together a portrait shaped by personal accounts, family memory, and public record.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Chapter 1: MRS MANDELA - The Wife of Nelson Mandela (1936 – 1976)
• E3Chapter 3: WINNIE - Fair and Pure (1988 – 1989)
• E4Chapter 4: NOBANDLA – She Who Is of the People (1990 – 1996)
• E5Chapter 5: WINIFRED - Friend of Peace (1996 – 1997)
• E6Chapter 6: NOMZAMO - Mother of Endeavour (1998 – 2013)
• E7Chapter 7: WINIFRED NOMZAMO ZANYIWE MANDELA MADIKIZELA (2013 – 2018)