Former DA leader Tony Leon has described as "lies" any suggestion that he was behind the prosecution of the late Struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Speaking yesterday through his close friend Douglas Gibson, he said: "Any suggestion of an involvement with Stratcom [an apartheid disinformation campaign] before 1994 when he was the opposition justice spokesperson, or afterwards, when he was the leader of the opposition to the ANC government is a ridiculous lie.

"Tony Leon was doing his job. Clearly, the public memory is rather short and any reminder of some facts rather than untrue speculation and innuendo during the current canonisation of Madikizela is probably unwelcome."

Yesterday, former safety and security minister Sydney Mufamadi said the investigation into Madikizela-Mandela's alleged killing of Stompie Seipei was re-opened at the behest of Leon who was the leader of the Democratic Party, now the Democratic Alliance.

Mufamadi broke his silence for the first time since claims emerged that he ordered the re-opening of investigations.

"I don't know if Tony Leon has whispered a denial," he said. "But I know that he has not denied that. He can't deny that because we went . asking [former police commissioner George] Fivas to open the investigation," Mufamadi said.

"When we came into government Tony Leon comes to see the commissioner to re-open the investigation. He is the one who must account for the decision he takes."

Madikizela-Mandela, who was laid to rest on Saturday, was accused of ordering Mandela United Football Club member Jerry Richardson to kill Seipei.

Mufamadi said: "We should not allow the country to go on fire basing ourselves on what people who were in the old order tell us about our country and ourselves. We must make up our mind about who we are. We know our own legacy. We must not be set up against one another."