Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie dead

Johannesburg: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, anti-apartheid activist who was once married to former South African President Nelson Mandela, passed away on Monday, said a statement released by her family. She was 81.

Winnie Mandela died after a long illness at the Netcare Milpark Hospital here, Xinhua news reported.

She died peacefully surrounded by her family and loved ones, said the statement.

Winnie Mandela was one of the greatest icons of the struggle against Apartheid. She fought valiantly against the Apartheid state and sacrificed her life for the freedom of the country.

Her activism and resistance to Apartheid landed her in jail on numerous occasions, eventually causing her banishment to the small town of Brandfort in the then Orange Free State, it said.

Winnie kept the memory of her imprisoned husband Nelson Mandela alive during his years on Robben Island and helped give the Struggle for justice in South Africa one its most recognisable faces.

She dedicated most of her adult life to the cause of the people and for this was known far and wide as the Mother Of The Nation, added the statement.