Winnie Mandela Subject of ANC Fraud Investigation in S. Africa

The African National Congress said Saturday that it is investigating fraud charges against Winnie Mandela, estranged wife of ANC leader Nelson Mandela and a likely member of South Africa’s first all-race Parliament.

The charges, including misappropriation of U.S. donations to the ANC, were revealed in a newspaper report on a secret internal ANC inquiry into Mrs. Mandela’s management of its welfare department.

She was dismissed as head of the Social Welfare Department in May, 1992, amid allegations of fraud.

Mrs. Mandela, who is 31st on the ANC’s list of candidates for the April 26-28 election of South Africa’s first democratic Parliament, was convicted as an accomplice to kidnaping and assault of children in 1988.

The Cape Times newspaper said it obtained a copy of the secret report of an ANC commission of inquiry into Mrs. Mandela’s affairs between January and March last year.

It said the report covered her management of the ANC’s Social Welfare Department between February, 1991, and March, 1992.

Allegations in the report include:

* That Mrs. Mandela and her companion and deputy, Dali Mpofu, failed to declare or deposit donations received during a visit to the United States in 1991. The total value of the donations was not available.

* That she deposited a donation of $135,000 into her personal account, subsequently transferring only $115,000 to the ANC.

* That withdrawals from the welfare department account totaling $58,000 by Mandela and Mpofu were not adequately documented.

“We are investigating the charges . . . but an investigation is a process and not an event. I cannot say how long the investigation will take,” ANC spokesman Ronnie Mampoepa said Saturday.

The report said that Mrs. Mandela had refused to testify before the commission but had acknowledged that she owes the ANC $21,000.

ANC officials confirmed Saturday that Mrs. Mandela has not returned any money to the organization.