Mandela's ex-wife Winnie furious with ruling party

Nelson Mandela’s ex –wife Winnie Mandela has accused the ruling ANC party of neglecting the Mandela family and abusing its name.

In a letter to the party's spokesman Jackson Mthembu, Madikizela-Mandela said no-one has cared to establish how they were doing as a family. The letter was published by the Sowetan and the Times newspapers. She wrote it in response to an invitation to a meeting to discuss plans for her to attend a Nelson Mandela lecture.  She did not attend the lecture which was addressed by President Jacob Zuma. Winnie picked on the party's failure to follow standard protocol at its centenary celebrations in January. She complained of being sidelined from the centenary preparations and being relegated to a "spectator". An ANC spokesman refused to comment on the letter. While her image was tarnished by a series of scandals, Winnie Mandela remains an influential figure as a lawmaker in South Africa. (The Associated Press)