Explainer: What was Stratcom and why is it trending again in 2018?

schumi

schumi

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Since the death of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the nation and various generations of South Africans have been on a wave of education regarding the struggles Mama Winnie went through. From documentaries to old interviews, South Africans are looking for answers. As of last week, Stratcom is the buzz word.

On Wednesday evening, #Winnie was the number one trending topic on South African Twitter. The nation was glued to their seats as they watched the 2017 documentary (Winnie) on eNCA.
The film tells the story of how Mama Winnie was bashed in the apartheid media thanks to the help of a government agency called Stratcom. The documentary wasn’t just Madikizela-Mandela telling the story either, actual apartheid security operatives only told the camera about the work they did.
What is

Stratcom?

Stratcom was a group within the apartheid government that was specifically tasked to create and carry out disinformation campaigns. This included propaganda, fake news as well as smear campaigns against those fighting against apartheid.

Stratcom and Winnie Mandela

Madikizela-Mandela was a victim of numerous Stratcom smear campaigns.

Stratcom boss and former Security Branch operative, Vic McPherson, openly admits in Winnie that he had numerous journalists on his payroll to concoct negative, false or exaggerated stories about Madikizela-Mandela.
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More at: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/what-was-stratcom-why-trending/
 
Thandeka Gqubule hits back at Stratcom allegations

Journalist Thandeka Gqubule has come out guns blazing to clear her name following the recent uproar over her alleged involvement in an apartheid covert operation aimed at discrediting Winnie-Madikizela-Mandela’s name and image.

In a video clip recently posted by the Huffington Post from an interview with Madikizela-Mandela, the struggle icon listed several journalists that had been critical of her, saying they were doing the work of the apartheid state’s Stratcom (strategic communications), which launched media smear campaigns against her.

Madikizela-Mandela explained how she became “disillusioned with the media” and reporters who specialised in writing “very negative stories” about her and the ANC. She named journalists Thandeka Gqubule, Nomavenda Mthiyane and Anton Harber – who worked at the Weekly Mail which is now the Mail & Guardian.

In an interview with the SABC, Gqubule said: “We exposed Stratcom … and we did this country a favour. I don’t know where this mischievous narrative that we are Stratcom comes from.”
Gqubule went on to respond to the question of why Madikizela-Mandela would name her by saying: “She [Mam Winnie] didn’t want to disband the [Mandela] football club and we wrote stories that were not flattering of the club and its activities. So that would obviously get her to believe that we were against her. But we were not.”
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More at: https://mg.co.za/article/2018-04-16-thandeka-gqubule-hits-back-at-stratcom-allegations
 
Mufamadi distances himself from allegations made in the 'Winnie' documentary

Former Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi on Monday denied that he had reopened a criminal investigation into the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, as alleged in the 2017 documentary Winnie.

As Madikizela-Mandela was laid to rest this weekend, public anger continued to rise on allegations that Madikizela-Mandela was vilified by an apartheid-spy infiltrated media and sold out by her comrades in the liberation movement. Mufamadi was addressing allegations made in the Winnie documentary that he is the one who ordered the reinvestigation of 14-year-old activist Moeketsi “Stompie” Seipei’s murder as a means to smear Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s name and image.

But Mufamadi said it was former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon who made Commissioner George Fivaz reopen the investigation into Madikizela-Mandela’s alleged involvement in the murder of Stompie Seipei.
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More at: https://mg.co.za/article/2018-04-16...om-allegations-made-in-the-winnie-documentary
 

I was not part of the campaign against Winnie: Tony Leon


Former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon is adamant that he was never part of the smear campaign to discredit the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

An official statement was issued on behalf of Leon by former ambassador to Thailand and opposition chief whip‚ Douglas Gibson. Leon is mourning the death of his father‚ Judge Ramon Leon‚ who passed away on Sunday morning.

“Any suggestion of an involvement with Stratcom before 1994 when he was the opposition justice spokesperson‚ or afterwards‚ when he was the leader of the opposition to the ANC government is a ridiculous lie. Tony Leon was doing his job and any allegation that he was ‘behind’ the persecution of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is also a lie.
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More at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/so...art-of-the-campaign-against-winnie-tony-leon/
 
Disinformation then, and even more now.
Hook, line and sinker. The same games, just different players. And people still dumb enough to believe what they are told to believe.
She was a saint. :sick:
 
Glock26 said:
Disinformation then, and even more now.
Hook, line and sinker. The same games, just different players. And people still dumb enough to believe what they are told to believe.
She was a saint. :sick:
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Why hasn’t O’Sullivan been arrested yet dude?
 
Who should we believe? All these people with reasonable explanations or the convicted fraudster whose leadership inspired a whole bunch of her peers to quit the ANCWL?
 
Can we agree that Winnie had faults and made mistakes but she also did good and she was the person who was needed at that time in our history?

why is everyone trying to make her either the devil or a saint?

She was human and did both good and bad.

Respect her for the pain and suffering she want through in order for us to be able to comment on this bloody forum.

Have healthy debates on what happened but accept that her actions whether good or bad contributed to the freedoms we enjoy today.
 
and people will continue to live in squalor because they glorify people like this..

rince and repeat
 
Raaz1zn said:
Can we agree that Winnie had faults and made mistakes but she also did good and she was the person who was needed at that time in our history?

why is everyone trying to make her either the devil or a saint?

She was human and did both good and bad.

Respect her for the pain and suffering she want through in order for us to be able to comment on this bloody forum.

Have healthy debates on what happened but accept that her actions whether good or bad contributed to the freedoms we enjoy today.
Click to expand...

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