Winnie Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela, dies at 81

Winnie Mandela dead at 81

African women join in a demonstration in South Africa, Aug. 16, 1962, demanding the release of Nelson Mandela, former secretary of the banned African National Congress, who appeared in court on a charge of incitement. The women, together with Winnie Mandela, chanted “Down with Verwoerd” on the steps of the Johannesburg City Hall. (Photo: Dennis Lee Royle/AP)

Winnie Mandela, the former wife of South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, died on Monday at the age of 81, triggering an outpouring of tributes to one of the country’s defining and most divisive figures.

She died in a Johannesburg hospital after a long illness, family spokesman Victor Dlamini said in a statement.

Winnie Mandela, who was married to Nelson Mandela for 38 years, played a high-profile role in the struggle to end white-minority rule but her place in history was stained by controversy and accusations of violence. (AFP)