Nelson Mandela, revered statesman and anti-apartheid leader, dies at 95

Mandela and his wivesmandela died 10

Nelson Mandela’s love life has seemingly run parallel to his political one — and can be divided up into three key eras. The young activist married his first wife, Evelyn Mase, in 1944. The couple, who had four children, divorced in 1958 — shortly before Mandela became an outlaw with the banning of the ANC.

Mandela’s second marriage — and probably his most famous — largely coincided with the time he spent locked up at the hands of the apartheid regime. In 1958 he walked down the aisle with Winnie Madikizela, who stood by his side and actively campaigned to free him from prison. Winnie became a powerful figure in her own right while Mandela was imprisoned, but a series of scandals involving her led to the couple’s estrangement in 1992, her dismissal from his cabinet in 1995, and their official divorce in 1996. The couple had two children. Winnie Mandela was also later convicted of kidnapping.

His third marriage, to Graca Machel — the widow of former Mozambique President Samora Machel — came on his 80th birthday as entered his role of world statesman.

Yahoo Australia contributed to this report.

Article Appeared @http://news.yahoo.com/nelson-mandela-dies-214057711.html

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *