Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for its upcoming seven-part documentary series, The Trials of Winnie Mandela, which premieres exclusively on the platform on 23 April 2026. Released on the eighth anniversary of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s passing, the trailer offers a timely moment of reflection on her enduring and deeply complex legacy.
Directed by the late two-time Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, the series is told through the eyes of Madikizela-Mandela’s granddaughters, HRH Princess Zaziwe Manaway (née Dlamini) and HRH Princess Swati Mandela-Dlamini, the latter also serving as a producer on the project. Together, they embark on a deeply personal journey to uncover the essence of the woman they affectionately knew as “Big Mommy.”
Through intimate family memories, personal testimonies, and archival records, The Trials of Winnie Mandela pieces together a layered portrait of one of South Africa’s most iconic and contested figures.
Audiences will hear from the “Mother of the Nation” in her own words, as she reflects on her childhood, political awakening, activism, and the many roles she inhabited — as a wife, mother, leader, and comrade. Drawing on never-before-seen footage from the later years of her life, the documentary offers rare insight into her inner world and the experiences that shaped her.
The series also confronts the controversies that came to define much of Madikizela-Mandela’s public image, revisiting the scandals, accusations, and media scrutiny that followed her for decades, as well as the brutal persecution she endured under the apartheid regime. Importantly, the documentary does not shy away from the difficult questions, incorporating the voices of critics and detractors to present a fuller and more unflinching account of a life lived under extraordinary pressure and relentless public scrutiny.
Image Captions
Artwork by Loyiso Mkize, created for The Trials of Winnie Mandela
HRH Princess Zaziwe Manaway (née Dlamini) and HRH Princess Swati Mandela-Dlamini in The Trials of Winnie Mandela
Featuring a wide range of prominent voices, the documentary contextualises Madikizela-Mandela’s life, influence, and contradictions through commentary from former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, former President Kgalema Motlanthe, anti-apartheid activist Dr Nakedi Mathews Phosa, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, political analyst and writer Sisonke Msimang, human rights lawyer Yasmin Sooka, visual artists Nkululeko Mahlangu and Loyiso Mkize, newspaper editor Mondli Makhanya, and Madikizela-Mandela’s longtime personal assistant, Zodwa Zwane.
The series also includes interviews with members of the notorious Nelson Mandela Football Club, as well as family members of Siboniso Tshabalala and Stompie Moeketsi, who speak to the lasting pain of their deaths and Madikizela-Mandela’s alleged involvement.
Together, these voices form a powerful and nuanced retelling of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s life — one that examines not only her profound historical significance, but also the enduring complexity of her legacy.
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