Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was announced dead by the South African Government on April 2, 2018 after a protracted illness at age 81.
Winnie who was described as the ‘Mother of Modern South Africa’ was famously known for her Anti-Apartheid struggle against the white supremacist in South Africa. She fought tirelessly upon and after the imprisonment of her husband ( Nelson Mandela.)
Here are fifteen Things you may not know about her:
1.) Winnie Madikizela-Mandela born in the village of Mbongwen on 26 September 1936; in what is now the Eastern Cape Province.
2.) She was commonly known as Winnie Mandela; born to an Xhosa family in Bizana, in the then Union of South Africa.
3.) Winnie studied social work at the Jan Hofmeyr School.
Also Read: Renowned British Physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking Dies At 76
4.)She married anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg in 1958.
5.) Winnie remained married for 38 years and had two daughters, Zenani born 1958, and Zindziwa born 1960
6.) Winnie became Mandela’s public face during the 27 years he spent in jail at Robben Island.
7.) The couple separated in April 1992 and she lived apart from Mandela while she was First Lady. They finalised the divorce in March 1996 with an unspecified out-of-court settlement; she then adopted the surname “Madikizela-Mandela”
8.) Winnie won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award along with fellow activists Allan Boesak and Beyers Naudé for their human rights work in South Africa in 1985
9.) She was appointed Deputy Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in May 1994 and was dismissed eleven months later following allegations of corruption.
10.) Winnie was elected president of the ANC Women’s League in December 1993 and April 1997.
11.) She was convicted on 43 counts of fraud and 25 of theft and shortly after the conviction. Winnie resigned from all leadership positions in the ANC, including her parliamentary seat and the presidency of the ANC Women’s League.
12.) Winnie-Mandela won the National Executive Committee Elections with 2,845 votes on 21 December 2007.
13.) Winne-Mandela secured fifth place on the ANC’s electoral list for the 2009 general election, behind party president and immediate former President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, former President Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President Baleka Mbete, and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel in 2009.
14.) Madikizela-Mandela bagged an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree awarded by the University Council and University Senate of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda in January, 2018.
15.) Winnie Madikizela-Mandela died from a long-time illness at the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg on 2 April 2018.
The post 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, South African Anti-Apartheid Crusader appeared first on LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS.