On April 2, 2018, Winnie Mandela, the wife of Nelson Mandela, who was known for her struggle against apartheid, passed away at the age of 81. She leaves behind a complicated legacy as she was known for her sometimes ruthless tactics and ideologies to accomplish her goal of ending apartheid.
Winnie Mandela was born on September 26, 1936 in Bizana, Eastern Cape province. Working as a hospital social worker, Mandela came to notice the poverty and discrimination of her fellow black Africans.
“I started to realize the abject poverty under which most people were forced to live, the appalling conditions created by the inequalities of the system,” she once said.
At the age of 22, Winnie met Nelson Mandela, and the two hit it off right away. The couple was married a year later. They poured all of their strengths and effort into the ANC and fighting apartheid, which strained the marriage. To Winnie, nothing came above her goal of ending apartheid.
“I was married to the ANC. It was the best marriage I ever had,” she often said.
All of the allegations that came to surface around Winnie did not help either. While her husband was known for his forgiving attitude towards those who had persecuted he and his fellow black Africans, Winnie was known for her aggression. She saw compassion as a weakness that her enemies could exploit.
In 1991 Winnie was convicted of kidnapping and assaulting Stompie Seipei, a 14 year-old, because she believed that he was an informer. Her original six-year jail term, however, was eventually reduced.
Nelson and Winnie Mandela separated in 1992, and eventually got divorced in 1995 after allegations of corruption rose against Winnie. She also had to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Committee to testify about the abductions and murders that were carried out in her name.
Even with her reputation as a radical, many people today still remember her as a hero. On the day of her death many top leaders of the African National Congress went to her home to pay her homage. President Cyril Ramaphosa praised her as a “tireless advocate for the dispossessed and the marginalized,” saying she, “bore the brunt of the senseless brutality of the apartheid state with stoicism and fortitude.” No one can question her dedication to and role in achieving the end of apartheid.
