EntertainmentCelebritiesWinnie Mandela, anti-Apatheid activist, dies at 81

Winnie Mandela, anti-Apatheid activist, dies at 81

Prominent anti-Apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who was married to Nelson Mandela for 38 years, died Monday after a long illness, her family confirmed. “She died peacefully early in the afternoon this Monday, surrounded by her family and loved ones,” said the family spokesman, Victor Dlamini. Madikizela-Mandela, 81, had been hospitalized at the Milpark Hospital from the town of Johannesburg since the beginning of the year due to a kidney infection, as reported by the Eye Witness News portal ,.Dlamini stressed that the family will give more details about the funeral once the preparations have been finalized, at the time who has asked all those who feel appreciation for Madikizela-Mandela to celebrate her figure.The activist was born in the town of Bizana in 1936 and married Mandela in 1958 – also during the period in which the later president of South Africa He was incarcerated on Robben Island. Madikizela-Mandela was still married to Mandela at the time he became President after the end of Apartheid, although the couple had separated two years earlier. Despite the fact that she was appointed Vice Minister of Culture in the first Government, Mandela fired her less than two years later due to accusations of corruption against her.The activist – who was imprisoned for a total of 17 months between 1969 and 1975 and who was later exiled – She maintains a popular base of support, although she has been widely criticized for her support for violent tactics to end Apartheid, even at a time when her husband was advocating for reconciliation.In fact, his reputation was damaged by his support for the practice of burning opponents alive using tires that were placed on their necks and subsequently set them on fire, as well as by the accusations of a former bodyguard who claimed that he had ordered kidnappings and murders. Among the most notorious cases is his conviction for kidnapping for the abduction and murder of activist Stompie Seipei, who was beheaded after being accused of being an informant. After the appeal process, she was sentenced to pay a fine. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission stated in its final report in 1998 that Madikizela-Mandela was “politically and morally responsible for serious human rights violations” by a group from Soweto known as Mandela United Football Club.Despite being divorced from Mandela, the activist was a visible figure in her last days and is still considered the ‘Mother of the Nation’ by her fans today.

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