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Winnie Mandela raises her fist during the funeral for 17 people who were killed during fierce rioting on Wed. March 5, 1986, in Johannesburg's Alexandra township.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of the most revered —and controversial — women in South African history, but to her grandchildren the anti-apartheid icon was always just their beloved"Big Mommy.
"While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon — having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid — his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned. That's because Winnie is accused of encouraging some of the worst Black-on-Black violence in the townships during apartheid in the 1980s.
In the trailer for the series, sisters Princess Swati Dlamini-Mandela and Princess Zaziwe Mandela-Manaway acknowledge they have set themselves a hard task, asking,"How do you ask your grandmother, are you a murderer, are you a kidnapper?
'"JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of the most revered —and controversial — women in South African history, but to her grandchildren the anti-apartheid icon was always just their beloved 'Big Mommy. 'In the trailer for the series, sisters Princess Swati Dlamini-Mandela and Princess Zaziwe Mandela-Manaway acknowledge they have set themselves a hard task, asking,"How do you ask your grandmother, are you a murderer, are you a kidnapper?
'""I'm so proud of this work, because it is not just a myopic view of a person that we love, but also who is complex, and has had a complex history," says Dlamini-Mandela, 47. While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon — having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid — his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.
That's because Winnie is accused of encouraging some of the worst Black-on-Black violence in the townships during apartheid in the 1980s. A gang of youths associated with her, called the Mandela United Football Club, were responsible for vigilante abductions and killings of those suspected of being government informers – even children. After being pressed by the Desmond Tutu, who led the commission, she said:"Things went horribly wrong…for that I am deeply sorry.
" The commission found her"politically and morally accountable" for the crimes committed by her gang of bodyguards. Even though the Netflix show is only being released now, filming of the documentary started before Winnie's death in 2018 aged 81. So she gets to answer for herself.
"Our grandfather's painted as a saint, and our grandmother's painted as a sinner," Dlamini-Mandela says. "And we ask her that question…what do you think about that? And she says, well, who is anyone to say, whether you're saint or a sinner, that's between me and my God.
"When Mandela was imprisoned, she was left not only to raise their children alone, but to carry on his activism – which she did fearlessly.491 days and tortured. She says in the documentary of that time:"The 18 months in solitary confinement, it left scars nothing can heal.
" She was jailed numerous times in the decades that followed, with her Soweto home frequently raided in the dead of night. Ultimately, she was exiled to the remote town ofBut she was criticized for her increasing militancy, even within her African National Congress party. Especially for a speech she gave in 1986 appearing to condone the brutal township punishment of"necklacing" used on alleged police collaborators.
In South Africa,"necklacing" was a brutal form of killing in which a car tyre was forced over a person's chest and shoulders and set alight. She was also villainized for alleged romantic affairs while her husband was in jail. When Mandela was released, their marriage faltered, ending in a divorce in 1996 for which she was mostly blamed.
"I wholeheartedly don't believe that a male comrade would've waited 27 years for a wife's return. The alleged affair feels like something they used against her in order to vilify her," says Momo Matsunyane, who directed a recent play in Johannesburg,"The Cry of Winnie Mandela," which sought to rehabilitate her image. In recent years, a new generation of young South Africans like Matsunyane have begun to reassess Winnie's legacy from a feminist perspective.
When she died in 2018, thousands mourned all night outside her home. There are now t-shirts with her face on them, street murals, and a major Johannesburg road named after her.
"It's true to say that she may have been involved in some events that occurred that made her seem ruthless," Matsunyane says. "It's also true that she was fiercely resilient in the face of a greatly violent and inhumane system. She put her life and body on the line for the fight for freedom.
" Aside from her renewed status as a revolutionary icon, what are her granddaughters' most cherished memories of her? "God, there's so many," says Mandela-Manaway. "I mean, her cooking for us in the kitchen on Sunday lunches … giving me hugs, giving me advice, talking to her about anything. " Despite growing up in turbulent times, the sisters — now both in their late forties — weren't that politically aware until they were young adults.
"We were kids, so we didn't realize that we were Nelson and Winnie's grandchildren," Mandela-Manaway says. "Not like...we knew that these were political figures who were known across the world. We had no idea.
" But much as their mother Zenani – Winnie and Nelson's first daughter – tried to normalize things for them, it was an unusual childhood. "And we literally were like, we only had each other, because no one wanted to be associated with us," the sisters say. "Being cool... Mandela became cool after.
"Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage. Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
Durazo is nearing the end of her term and is running for the LA County Board of Supervisors seat currently held by Hilda Solis, who is termed out. Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage.
Durazo is nearing the end of her term and is running for the LA County Board of Supervisors seat currently held by Hilda Solis, who is termed out. The forum, hosted by Proyecto Pastoral, brought together Juan Camacho, Wendy Carrillo, Sara Hernandez and Sarah Rascón — four of eight candidates running for the seat — to outline how they would represent Boyle Heights and East LA.
Organizers said they initially invited only candidates with active campaigns but later extended invitations to others.
“We were open to everyone,” said Enrique Velázquez, with Proyecto Pastoral. About 60 people attended the forum, many raising concerns about affordable housing, healthcare, and environmental issues tied to the Exide Technologies plant nearby. Among them was Martha Martinez, 70, who has lived in Boyle Heights for nearly three decades and says housing affordability tops her list.
“My children pay extremely high rent,” Martinez said. She hopes that eventually they will be able to afford homes in the neighborhood as well. Joseph Villela, 43, joined the forum to hear what the candidates had to say about the changes in the district. Camacho immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley.
He serves as President of Equality California Institute, where he leads programs to protect LGBTQ+ civil rights and support youth leadership. Carrillo immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 5 and grew up in Boyle Heights and City Terrace. She previously served the Eastside as State Assemblymember for the 52nd district. Hernandez currently serves on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees and is a housing, immigration and environmental attorney.
She began her career as an LAUSD middle school teacher and lives in Eagle Rock. Rascón grew up in El Sereno and her background is in sustainability and environmental justice. Recently, she served as the Director of County and Regional Affairs for Mayor Karen Bass. Four candidates seeking to replace Sen.
Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage. Across the board, candidates pointed to their work supporting health resources across the Eastside and emphasized their commitments to protecting immigrant communities from federal enforcement and redirecting state funding to keep immigrant families housed.
On public health, Rascón pointed to the work she’s done to bring social services and mental health resources to Eastside families as a county liaison for the mayor’s office, including Prop 1, which invested $65 million for mental health services in LA County. Hernandez said she will redirect Prop 1 funding to support early intervention and community nonprofits.
Camacho stressed funding for mental health, community clinics, and schools and emphasized the need to get in front of issues like housing affordability to promote healthier communities.
“My promise is to keep fighting for resources in the budget,” Carrillo said. Four candidates seeking to replace Sen. Maria Elena Durazo in California’s 26th Senate District took questions from Eastside residents Wednesday evening, where concerns about immigration, public health and the environment took center stage. Rascón said she spent the summer patrolling her neighborhood for federal agents.
Hernandez proposed expanding “safe zone” doctrines in the district beyond schools and healthcare facilities and taxing private ICE detention facilities.
“I will ask that the attorney general keep going after federal agents terrorizing our communities and that we keep suing the Trump administration when they keep taking away our rights,” he said. To address the massive state and federal cuts to the state’s Medi-Cal program, which will cause some immigrant populations to lose health coverage, Rascón, Hernandez and Camacho said they’d adopt progressive taxation to fill the gap in funding left behind by the cuts.
The candidates were asked how they would address a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to end certain federal housing assistance for families with mixed immigration status. All candidates said they would redirect state funding to supplement the funding lost by HUD to protect housing for mixed-status families and renters.
Carrillo said she would work on legislation to protect tenants from displacement, like eliminating the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to legally back out of their rental business and evict tenants. Environmental justice was another key focus. Rascón and Hernandez emphasized reducing pollution and expanding green space, while Camacho said he would focus on community listening.
Carrillo pointed to past investments in park cleanups, LA River restoration and remediation of neighborhoods impacted by the Exide battery plant contamination.from the White House. But those talks failed to yield a deal, leading the airline no choice but to stop flying"effective immediately".from the White House. But those talks failed to yield a deal, leading the airline no choice but to stop flying"effective immediately".
"It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately," the airline saidearly Saturday. "ll flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come.
"People all around the country have been documenting last flights from Spirit landing at their airports, including at LAX on Friday night. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that the Department of Transportation was coordinating with other U.S. airlines to help stranded customers rebook travel. Several major carriers agreed to cap ticket prices and offer reduced fares for affected passengers.
Several airlines also said they would help Spirit crew members return home and offer preferential interviews to Spirit employees looking to stay in the aviation industry.among ultra-low-cost carriers, keeping its fares down by stripping away amenities that travelers had previously taken for granted. But bigger legacy airlines countered with their own basic economy fares, making it harder for Spirit to survive.to a larger rival, accepting a $3.8 billion offer from JetBlue after a bidding war in 2023.
But the U.S. Justice Department sued toPassengers check in for their Spirit Airlines flights at O'Hare Airport on March 10 in Chicago. The budget airline has announced it will cease operations.twice since 2024, seeking to emerge as a leaner, more competitive operation. But the combination of rising fuel costs and changes in the industry proved too much to overcome.
"When you're a low-cost carrier, by definition, you're relying on having a cost advantage. And they just don't have that anymore," said, a former airline pilot and professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.
"They just don't have a lot of options left. " In recent weeks, Spirit had been in talks with the Trump administration on a deal that would have provided a $500 million cash infusion in exchange for a significant potential stake in the company.
But there were disagreements inside the administration over the wisdom of funding the bailout.at the White House that he would like the chance to save the jobs of Spirit's employees, but Trump said it would have to be"a good deal.
" While in bankruptcy, Spirit's operations had gotten smaller. In February, the airline had a 3.9% market share of U.S. passengers, down from 5.1% in the same month last year, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. Spirit's market share was poised to fall even further to 1.8% in May, which would have made it the country's ninth-largest airline.
But even with a small footprint, consumer advocates say Spirit had an important effect on fares by providing competition for the larger legacy carriers on the routes that it flew.
"You do not have to fly a small carrier in order to benefit from its presence, because they will bring down the big guys' fares," said, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Without Spirit flying those routes, he predicted that"everyone will be paying more.
"If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. The route is years in the making, and it's a big milestone in the decades-long conservation efforts to preserve this local jewel in the community of El Sereno. The trail is part of a decades-long effort to preserve the entire 110 acres of Elephant Hill.
Read on to learn more. The route is years in the making, and it's a big milestone in the decades-long conservation efforts to preserve this local jewel in the community of El Sereno. The hiking trail connects one side of Elephant Hill to the other — from the corner of Pullman Street and Harriman Avenue all the way across to Lathrop Street.
"It's a pretty straight shot, but because of the terrain — the trail is kind of twisty and curvy. There's switchbacks — and great views," Elva Yañez, board president of the nonprofitPeople have always been able to access the 110-acre green space, but Yañez said the new trail provides a safe and easy way to navigate the steep hillsides. The El Sereno nonprofit has been working for two decades to preserve the land.
Illegal dumping and off-roading have damaged the open space over the years. And the majority of the 110 acres are privately owned by an estimated 200 individual owners. Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority joined the efforts in 2018, spurred by a $700,000 grant from Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District, in part, to build the trail.
The local agency received some $2 million in grants from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to add to the 10 acres of Elephant Hill it manages and conserves. This year, MCRA acquired an additional 12 parcels — or about 2.4 acres. And the spiffy new footpath — with trail signage, information kiosks and landscape boulders — is not just a long-sought-for victory but a beginning in a sense.
"We know that it means a lot to the community," Sarah Kevorkian, who oversees the trail project for MRCA, said. "We're wrapping up the trail, but it really feels like the beginning of all that is to come. ""They're able to see at the end of the trail, at the 'test plot' — exactly what a restored Elephant Hill would look like," Yañez said.
San Gabriel Valley residents are rallying today against a battery storage project in the City of Industry. They warn it could bring environmental and health impacts and pave the way for more industrial development, like data centers. City leaders approved the 400-megawatt Marici battery facility in January. But residents in nearby communities say they were not adequately informed and are concerned about safety risks.
A coalition of residents from across the San Gabriel Valley are mobilizing over a battery storage project and possibly more industrial development in the City of Industry they say could pollute communities next door.
A protest is scheduled today in neighboring Rowland Heights, targeting a 400-megawatt battery energy storage facility sited on about 9 acres that wasWHAT: Protest against battery storage facility in the city of IndustryBecause of the City of Industry’s unusual, sprawling shape stretching along the 60 Freeway, it borders on more than a dozen communities, meaning what happens there can have far-reaching impact.with how decisions are made by officials in the City of Industry, a municipality that’s almost entirely zoned for industrial use and has less than 300 residents. Organizers say they’ve struggled to get direct responses from city officials whom they say have replaced regular meetings with special meetings, which under state law require less advance notice.
A request for comment from Aypa was not returned. Today’s protest is taking place at Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights across the street from the Puente Hills Mall, a, which activists fear could be redeveloped into a data center and bring higher utility costs and greater air and noise pollution.
“But none of these surrounding communities receive any of those benefits,” Yip said. “Yet we have to put up with all the harmful effects and impacts from this city that does all this development without really reaching out. ”
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