Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, an Anti-arpatheid activist in South Africa(SA) and the former wife of the late President Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 81.The outspoken campaigner was known as the 'Mother of the Nation' because of her struggle against white minority rule in SA.She was a member of SA parliament at the time of her death.
Winnie Madikizela Mandela and Nelson Mandela married in South Africa in 1958.
The Mandelas were married for 38 years including the 27 years that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on an Island next to Cape Town in South Africa.
People gather in support of Winnie Mnadela as she leaves a court in Pretoria in South Africa in 1964.Her husband had just been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Winnie Mandela is pictured in 1977, during her exile in Brandfort,S.A
Winnie Mandela,center,celebrates alongside her daughter Zindzi and other supporters following her release from Johannesburg Magistrates Court.She had been arrested for defying a court order that banned her from entering Soweto, an area at the center of the anti-apartheid movement in Johannesburg.
Winnie and her 2daughters, Zenani,left and Zindzi, arrive at Capetown airport to visit her imprisoned husband in 1985.
Winnie with her grandson in 1986.
Winnie in traditional dress in 1986
Winnie at an ANC rally in Soweto
Nelson Mandela joined by his wife after release from prison in February 1990
Mandela leans to kiss his wife at a rally in March 1990
A portrait of the Mandelas.The pair divorced in 1996.
The Mandelas meet with Coretta Scott King, widow of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Junior in 1990.
The Mandelas are welcomed by former first lady Jackie Kennedy during a visit to Boston in 1990.
Winnie Mandela shakes hands with supporters in Rustenburg,SA in 1997.She had just been elected the president of African National Congress (ANC) Womens League.
Winnie leads a protest march during an international AIDS in Durban South Africa in 2000.
Winnie, left, joins her ex-husband Mandela and his 3rd wife Graca Machel, during his 90th Birthday celebration in Tshwane,SA in 2008.
Winnie attends her ex-husband's state funeral in 2013
Winnie greets a crowd of supporters in Soweto for her 80th birthday in 2016.
Winnie joins the hands of SA President Jacob Zuma,left, and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa during an ANC policy conference in 2017.
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Updated 1541 GMT (2341 HKT) April 2, 2018
(CNN)Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist and former wife of the late President Nelson Mandela, has died at the age of 81.
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."
Madikizela-Mandela was known as the "Mother of the Nation" because of her struggle against white minority rule in South Africa.
She 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.
Nelson and Winnie Mandela raise clenched fists to supporters
upon Nelson's release from jail in February 1990.
upon Nelson's release from jail in February 1990.
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.
A longtime stalwart of the ruling African National Congress political party, Madikizela-Mandela was a member of South Africa's parliament at the time of her death.
Although the activist, who suffered from diabetes, saw the rise of a new, more equitable South African political system during her lifetime, she was also entangled in controversy over the years.
Madikizela-Mandela was convicted of kidnapping in 1991 and fraud in 2003. South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission accused her of involvement in human rights abuses during the apartheid era.
Her family said Monday that it would release details of her memorial and funeral services once these have been finalized.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow ...
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