Nelson Mandela was best man at Walter and Albertina Sisulu’s wedding in July 1944. Twenty years later Walter was sentenced to life imprisonment alongside him, and Albertina raised their family alone for a quarter of a century.
A nurse and an activist
Albertina Thethiwe was a nurse at Johannesburg General Hospital when she met Walter Sisulu, an estate agent and activist, in 1941. They married in July 1944, with a ceremony in the Transkei and a celebration at the Bantu Men’s Social Centre in Johannesburg.
Rivonia and the years apart
Walter rose to become secretary-general of the ANC. In 1964 he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. Albertina raised their children, worked as a nurse and endured bannings and detention herself. In 1983 she became a co-president of the United Democratic Front.
Reunited
Walter was released in October 1989 after more than 25 years. Their daughter Lindiwe Sisulu became a cabinet minister. Walter died in May 2003 and Albertina in June 2011.