Winnie Mandela 1936-2018: Legacy of the anti-apartheid activist and former wife of Nelson Mandela

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Nomzamo Winifred Madikizela was born on the 26th of September 1936, in Bizana, a rural village in South Africa. When she was still a teenager, Winnie enrolled in a Johannesburg college to study social work. After qualifying, she was offered a scholarship to study further in America, but she declined.

Instead, Winnie opted to work at Baragwanath Hospital - becoming the first black social worker to be employed there. It was around that time that Winnie met Nelson Mandela, a senior member of the African National Congress. The two married in June 1958, and had two daughters.

During the first years of their marriage, Mandela was routinely arrested for his anti-apartheid stance. Winnie - who also became involved in the struggle - was detained several times by the police.

After Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in 1964, Winnie continued to play an active role in the fight against apartheid, and became known as 'Mother of the Nation'.

But the arrests, torture, years of separation and social upheaval took their toll and her marriage to Mandela was irrevocably damaged. The couple divorced in 1996, having spent few of their almost four decades of marriage together.

Winnie's public profile continued to flourish. She was elected president of the ANC's Women's League. And when Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president, he appointed her deputy minister of arts, culture, science and technology.

Colleagues remember her as a disciplinarian, who didn't stand for any nonsense. And until her death, she was respected for her role in ending South Africa's oppressive policies.