International > Canada Denies Visa to Winnie Mandela

elson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela listens to speakers as he joins in the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of South Africa's Freedom Charter in Kliptown, Soweto.  (Mujahid Safodien/Reuters)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, was denied a visa and will not be allowed to enter Canada, organizers of a gala fundraiser said Tuesday.

Madikizela-Mandela was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the "A Night in Soweto" concert with MusicaNoir, an organization that promotes cultural diversity in music.

The controversial ex-wife of Mandela, South Africa's first black president, had to cancel her trip at the last moment Monday, said Carole Adriaans of MusicaNoir.

"She was devastated. She burst out crying and she couldn't believe it. We can't believe it," Adriaans said.

Adriaans did not know why the visa application was denied.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada said late Tuesday that it wouldn't be appropriate to comment on a specific case.

But spokeswoman Karen Shadd-Evelyn issued a statement that said "persons are deemed inadmissible to come to Canada for a variety of reasons including if they have been convicted of a serious crime. It is up to applicants to satisfy visa officers that they are coming to Canada on a temporary basis and that they are otherwise admissible to Canada."

In Ottawa, opposition Liberal Party Leader Stephane Dion called the visa refusal surprising.

Madikizela-Mandela rose to prominence during the apartheid era, when she led the African National Congress and vigorously campaigned for the release of her husband, who spent 27 years in jail. Their marriage fell apart a few years after his 1990 release.

In 1991, she was sentenced to six years in jail for her role in a kidnapping case. The sentence was reduced to a fine on appeal, but she was later convicted of fraud and theft charges.

Adriaans noted that Madikizela-Mandela, 73, was in New York two weeks ago to receive an award for her charity work in South Africa. "We didn't dream that we would have a problem like this on our hands."

"The Passion of Winnie," a new opera based on Madikizela-Mandela's life, is scheduled to be presented Friday as part of Toronto's Luminato Festival.

2007-06-06