South African Anti-Apartheid Campaigner Winnie Mandela Dies at 81
South African anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela has died aged 81, her personal assistant says. Winnie Madikizela Mandela was the former wife of South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela. The couple - famously pictured hand-in-hand as Mr Mandela walked free from prison after 27 years - were a symbol of the anti-apartheid struggle for nearly three decades. However, in later years her reputation became tainted legally and politically. Family spokesman Victor Dlamini said in a statement: " She died after a long illness, for which she had been in and out of hospital since the start of the year. " She succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones." Rest in peace " Mother of the Nation " as she was affirmatively called.