Former African National Congress (ANC) MP Vytjie Mentor told the congregation at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town on Thursday that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was not responsible for Stompie Seipei's death.

Mentor's declaration comes after people took to social media soon after her death at the age of 81 on Monday to accuse Madikizela-Mandela of murdering the 14-year-old boy in 1989.

Madikizela-Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, often referred to as "Mother of the Nation".

"Not the court of law, not the TRC could link Winnie to the orchestration of Stompie's execution," said Mentor.

"It is a lie and a fabrication by the National Party."

Mentor said she was disgusted by the negative comments made about Madikizela-Mandela.

'Hung out to dry'

Mentor recalled an interview Madikizela-Mandela gave 20 years ago on land expropriation.

"She was a futurist, because she dealt with these issues years ago. She spoke about land and means of production.

"She said land must be redistributed and expropriated. But this doesn't mean whites should be driven into the sea. She was later hung out to dry by her colleagues," said Mentor.

Mentor further explained the reasons why Madikizela-Mandela's colleagues may have been threatened by her.

"She was a symbol of hope and defiance and maybe she became too big. As you know, it is undesirable for an individual to grow bigger than the party," she said.

She spoke about the erection of a monument in Madikizela-Mandela's honour.

"We don't want a monument of stone and bricks, but one that bridges the gap between the rich and the poor," said Mentor.