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| Winnie Mandela |
ISHINE MAGAZINE - Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of the
late President Nelson Mandela, has died at the age of 81. Following extended hospital visits to treat a kidney
infection, Winnie Mandela passed away on April 2, 2018, in Johannesburg.
For many years, Winnie was looked upon as 'the
mother of the nation. She was a fearless anti-apartheid activist.
Born in Bizana, a rural village in the Transkei
district of South Africa, in 1936. Winnie Mandela embarked on a career of
social work that led to her involvement in activism. Winnie eventually moved to Johannesburg in 1953 to
study at the Jan Hofmeyr School of Social Work. South Africa was under the
system known as apartheid, where citizens of indigenous African descent were
subjected to a harsh caste system, while European descendants enjoyed much
higher levels of wealth, health and social freedom.
Winnie completed her studies and, though receiving
a scholarship to study in America, decided instead to work as the first black
medical social worker at Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg. A dedicated
professional, she came to learn via her field work of the deplorable state that
many of her patients lived in.
Winnie Mandela became president of the ANC Women's
League in 1993, and the following year she was elected to Parliament.
The
family said in a statement that she passed away at the Netcare Milpark Hospital
in Johannesburg, South Africa after a long illness, for which she had been in
and out of hospital since the start of the year.
"Mrs.
Madikizela-Mandela was one of the greatest icons of the struggle against apartheid,"
the statement said. "She fought valiantly against the apartheid state and
sacrificed her life for the freedom of the country."
Winnie
Mandela was married to Nelson Mandela for 38 years, including the 27 years he
was imprisoned on an island near Cape Town.
"She
kept the memory of her imprisoned husband Nelson Mandela alive during his years
on Robben Island and helped give the struggle for justice in South Africa one
its most recognizable faces," the statement said.
The
couple were divorced in 1996, two years after Nelson Mandela became South
Africa's first black President. They had two daughters together. Nelson Mandela
died in 2013.
Despite
the conflicts, Winnie Mandela is still widely revered for her role in ending
South Africa's oppressive policies. Her story has been the subject of an opera,
books and films, her character interpreted by many different actresses across
numerous productions. She was played by actress Alfre Woodard in the 1987
television movie Mandela; by Sophie Okonedo in the TV movie Mrs Mandela (2010);
and by Jennifer Hudson in the 2011 film Winnie.
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