State funeral for Winnie Mandela

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was an anti-apartheid campaigner

Anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Madikizela-Mandela - known to millions as "the mother of South Africa" - will be given a state funeral, with events around the country to remember her life, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, who, along with her husband Nelson Mandela, became a symbol of the struggle against white minority rule, died on Monday at the age of 81.

Her funeral will be held at Orlando Stadium, near her home in Soweto, on Saturday, 14 April, with an official memorial three days before, President Cyril Ramaphosa told media on Monday evening.

Mr Ramaphosa - who said last night that the nation was "ill-prepared for her early departure" - also paid tribute to her determination and strength in the face of a regime which did everything it could to break her spirit, including torture and imprisonment.

People were still gathering outside her home this morning to pay their respects.

South Africa's Mail & Guardian shared these pictures:

Winnie Mandela's neighbours and friends mourning outside her home in Soweto. 📷: Oupa Nkosi pic.twitter.com/yJyt32a9mj

— Mail & Guardian (@mailandguardian) April 3, 2018

Source: bbc.com