Winnie Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid campaigner has died aged 81, a family spokesman said.
A statement from Mandela’s family said the former political prisoner, who used her family name of Madikezela after her divorce, had been in and out of hospital since the beginning of the year.
“She succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones.” Victor Dlamini said in a statement.
Seen as the “mother of the nation” by many who admired her steely leadership and activism against a brutal racist and repressive regime, Mandela was a polarising figure who was repeatedly accused of being linked to violence and corruption.
Winnie Mandela was the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela.
