Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

Winnie Mandela was only 22 years old when she met the lawyer and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela who first saw her at a bus stop in Soweto. Mandela was 16 years her senior and was married to Evelyn Mase at that time. He wooed Winnie and they got married on 14 June 1958. Together the couple had two daughters, Zenani and Zindziwa.

Mandela was imprisoned in 1963 and was released in 1990. Two years later, the couple separated and finalised their divorce in 1996.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela passed away 2 April 2018 at the age of 81 at the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. She had been suffering from diabetes and had also undergone several surgeries since early 2018.

Nomzamo Winfreda Zanyiwe Madikizela was born on 26 September 1936, in the village of Mbongweni, in Eastern Cape province. Her parents, Columbus and Gertrude were both teachers. Her father was a history teacher and her mother taught domestic science.

Of the eight girls and one boy in the family, Winnie was the fourth daughter of her parents. Her mother passed away when she was nine years old after which her siblings and she were sent away to live with different relatives.

She completed her schooling from Embongweni and graduated with a degree in social work from Jan Hofmeyr School of Social Work in Johannesburg in 1956. Winnie also secured a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of the Witwatersrand.

After doing several small jobs, Winnie finally got her first job at the Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto where she worked as a social worker.

Winnie was always interested in politics and while working at the hospital her interest grew manifold especially after she shared a dormitory with Adelaide Tsukudu who went on to marry the African National Congress (ANC) president, Oliver Tambo. Adelaide often spoke about her future husband and his friend the charismatic legal partner, Nelson Mandela.

Winnie met Nelson Mandela in 1957 and married him a year later. However, despite having two children her married life was very lonely. Mandela would always be out attending ANC meetings, or handling legal cases and the Treason Trial.

In October 1958, Winnie took part in a protest against the Apartheid government which was organised by the ANC Women’s League. The police arrested 1000 women who were a part of this protest. Her first encounter with prison life exposed Winnie to the appalling condition of South African prisons which further strengthened her resolve to struggle against the Apartheid.

On March 30, 1961, a few days following the massacre of 69 people at the hands of the police during a Pan African Congress (PAC) anti-pass demonstration at Sharpeville, the police launched a raid on Nelson Mandela’s house. They then arrested Nelson Mandela after which Winnie was left alone to fend for herself.

After Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment, Winnie Mandela became actively involved in political activities for which she was often detained by the police. On 12 May 1969, Winnie was arrested by the police and was kept in solitary confinement for 17 months.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was awarded the ‘Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award’ for her human rights work in South Africa in 1985.

In 1988, she was awarded the ‘Candace Award for Distinguished Service’ from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

In January 2018, the University Council and University Senate of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) as a token of recognition for her years of efforts against apartheid in South Africa.