WINNIE MADIKIZELA-MANDELA THREATENS THE MAKING OF HER MOVIE
Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, as she has been known since her divorce from Mr Mandela in 1996, is one of South Africa’s most controversial and divisive figures.The South African-made film, titled Winnie, is due to start shooting in May and will star Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar-winning American actress, whose casting in the role provoked protests from South African actors. It is based on an independent biography of her, Winnie Mandela: A Life, by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob, a former journalist, described by one reviewer as “hard-hitting but not heartless”. Nonetheless lawyers for Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, 73, have stepped in to warn the producers that she is reserving her legal rights.The position of the producers is that if a screenplay has to be approved by Ms Madikizela-Mandela, then the film based on that screenplay could possibly be jeopardised as the world may question the credibility of the film,” she said, adding that they were advised that they do not legally need her consent to make the film.