Winnie Mandela dead at 81

South African anti-apartheid campaigner and former first lady Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has died at age 81.

She and her former husband Nelson Mandela, who were both jailed, were a symbol of the country’s anti-apartheid struggle for three decades.

Mrs Mandela succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones  following a long illness, in and out of hospitals since the start of the year.

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela was born in 1936 in the Eastern Cape - then known as Transkei. She was a trained social worker when she met her future husband in the 1950s. They went on to have two daughters together.
They were married for a 38 years of which Mr. Mandela was in prison for almost three decades..

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela took on his mission after he was jailed, becoming an international symbol of resistance to apartheid. She too was jailed for her role in the fight for justice and equality.

To her supporters, she became known affectionately as "Mother of the Nation".

Crowds of mourners and political figures flocked to her home in Soweto, Johannesburg, after news of her death broke.