By Ayo Kehinde
Winnie Mandela
Personal and official tributes have continued to pour in for South African anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela who died at 81 yesterday.Winnie Madikizela Mandela was the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. She died after a prolonged illness, which saw her in and out of hospital for some time.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has described he death as a huge loss to Africa. Bihari in a condolence message in Abuja on Monday, noted that the deceased was a woman of uncommon determination, steadfastness and perseverance.
According to Buhari in a condolence message is contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the late Winnnie held aloft the torch of the struggle against institutionalised discrimination even while her ex-husband, the late Madiba, President Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa and Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu have described her as the “Mother of the Nation”, while Energy Minister Jeff Radebe described her as a “colossus who strode the political landscape
Ramaphosa called her as a “voice of defiance” against white-minority rule.”In the face of exploitation, she was a champion of justice and equality,” he said on Monday. “She as an abiding symbol of the desire of our people to be free”.
Archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said she was a “defining symbol of the struggle against apartheid. Her courageous defiance was deeply inspirational to me, and to generations of activists,”
Radebe said: ”As the ANC we dip our revolutionary banner in salute of this great icon of our liberation struggle. The Mandela family are deeply grateful for the gift of her life and even as our hearts break at her passing we urge all those who loved her to celebrate this most remarkable South African woman.”
