Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the flamboyant ex-wife of Nelson Mandela who has been convicted of fraud and theft charges involving $216,000, faces a 15-year jail sentence and an undignified end to her controversial political career.
Although Madikizela-Mandela, 64, has been a durable character who has survived numerous serious run-ins with the law, few hold out any hopes for her this time.
"I think even the most optimistic legal practitioner will rule out any chances of her succeeding if she elects to appeal against her conviction," said a Johannesburg lawyer who did not want to be named.
"The only reasonable thing to do now is to write her off."
Madikizela-Mandela was convicted on Thursday after state prosecutors said letters bearing her signature were used to secure loans for bogus employees of the Women's League of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which she heads.
In the end, Madikizela-Mandela signed her own fate, said the Pretoria magistrate when convicting her on 43 counts of fraud and 25 of theft.
"The evidence of the state ... is overwhelming," said the magistrate, Peet Johnson.
Madikizela-Mandela's broker and co-accused, Andy Moolman, was also convicted on 58 charges of fraud and 25 of theft.
The theft charges related to money deducted from loan applicants' bank accounts for a funeral policy that did not exist.
The two defendants, who pleaded not guilty, sat impassively as Johnson read his 2 1/2-hour verdict.
Madikizela-Mandela dismissed the charges as a pack of lies based on a sick law.
She admitted signing some of the letters at issue but insisted she had done so without checking their contents.
Johnson said it was "highly improbable" that a woman of her stature would have signed so many letters without knowing what they were all about.
The proceedings were conducted amid tight security. At the entrance to the court a crowd of around 150 people had gathered to support Madikizela-Mandela.
Known as the "Mother of the Nation" for her struggle against apartheid, Madikizela-Mandela has enjoyed support among some poor black South Africans.
She married Mandela in 1958. They formally separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996 after he accused her of infidelity.
She campaigned tirelessly for the anti-apartheid struggle following Mandela's arrest just six years after their marriage. She gained heroine status during years of detention, banishment and arrest.
But she has always been a figure of controversy.
She was convicted in 1992 of kidnapping a young activist called Stompie Sepei, who was murdered. Her six-year sentence for the offence was reduced to two suspended years on appeal.
Her reputation suffered when Mandela sacked her as a deputy minister from his newly elected ANC government in 1995 for insurbordination.
She missed meetings and was not shy about criticising her ANC colleagues, including President Thabo Mbeki.
- INDEPENDENT
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