THE TRIALS OF WINNIE MANDELA is a provocative examination of an icon, a politician, a grandmother, and a human being.

A deeply personal story that compels her granddaughtersand audiences – to grapple with their own understanding of human frailty, unconditional love, and the human capacity for good and evil.

It is Winnie Madikizela-Mandela herself who asks: “WHO HOLDS 100% OF SAINTHOOD?”

This seven-part documentary series is structured around a lunchtime conversation between Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and her two granddaughters. The interactions are frank, heartfelt, they are emotional and uncomfortable. Most of all, they provide unique insight into the complexity of a woman who lived an extraordinary life.

Unparalleled access to Winnie Mandela, exclusive interviews with family, friends, commentators, victims and activists and rare archive footage captures Winnie’s life story in detail never attempted before.

Swati and Zazi are drawn into a dark, unfamiliar world of anarchy, police brutality, betrayal, necklacing, spies and political compromise with their grandmother placed centrally in the mix. Immersed in this shadowy and frightening world, the sisters are unwavering in their determination to find the truth – often to Winnie’s chagrin. They ask questions to which they might not want to hear the answers.

There has been an unfortunate tendency in public life to silence complex discussions about Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s iconic life. More especially since she died in 2018, when the prevailing narratives insisted solely on the “feminist heroine” and refuse the probing of a fallen idol. Yet the voices of her victims still cry out; if we cannot hold her accountable for her own legacy, we have no right to hold anyone accountable for their actions today.