In June 1958, a young social worker named Winnie Madikizela married Nelson Mandela, a lawyer and rising leader of the African National Congress. He was already on trial for treason, and their wedding came during one of the most tense periods of his political life. Within a few years, he was in hiding and then in prison, where he stayed for 27 years. Their marriage became one of the most famous, and most painful, love stories in modern African history.
How they met and the wedding
Winnie Madikizela came from Bizana in the Eastern Cape and had moved to Johannesburg to train as a social worker. She met Nelson Mandela in 1957. He was then married to his first wife, Evelyn Mase, but that marriage was ending. The couple married on 14 June 1958. The wedding was held in Winnie’s home area in the Eastern Cape. Mandela had to obtain permission to travel because of restrictions placed on him.
The couple lived in Soweto and had two daughters, Zenani and Zindziswa. Mandela was often away, attending the treason trial and political meetings.
Prison, struggle and divorce
In 1961, Mandela went underground. He was arrested in 1962 and, in 1964, sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial. Winnie was left to raise their daughters alone. Winnie became a leading figure in the anti-apartheid movement in her own right. She was harassed, detained and banished to the town of Brandfort for years. During his imprisonment, the couple exchanged letters and saw each other during rare, strictly controlled visits.
When Mandela walked out of prison in February 1990, Winnie was at his side, raising her fist with him in front of the cameras. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Mandela later married Graça Machel in 1998.
Legacy and their daughters
Their marriage has been the subject of books, films and debate, reflecting the personal cost of political struggle. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela died in 2018, and was mourned as the “Mother of the Nation” by many South Africans. Zenani and Zindzi grew up largely without their father at home. Zindzi became known around the world in 1985 when she read her father’s statement rejecting a conditional offer of release at a rally in Soweto.
Nelson and Winnie Mandela were married for nearly 38 years. They spent fewer than five of them living together as a free couple.
