Anti-apartheid
campaigner Winnie Madikizela-Mandela dies at 81
South African
anti-apartheid campaigner and former first lady Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has
died.
She and her
former husband Nelson Mandela, who were both jailed, were a symbol of the
country's anti-apartheid struggle for three decades.
MrsMadikizela-Mandela
was born in 1936 in the Eastern Cape - then known as Transkei.
She was a
trained social worker when she met her future husband in the 1950s. They went on
to have two daughters together.They were married for a total of 38 years,
although for almost three decades of that time they were separated due to Mr
Mandela's long imprisonment.
It was
MrsMadikizela-Mandela who took his baton after he was jailed for life, becoming
an international symbol of resistance to apartheid. She too was jailed for her
role in the fight for justice and equality.
To her
supporters, she became known affectionately as "Mother of the
Nation".
"In the
face of exploitation, she was a champion of justice and equality,"
"She as an abiding symbol of the desire of our people to be free".However, in later years her reputation became tainted
legally and politically.
No comments:
Post a Comment