South Africa's Winnie Mandela dies

South Africa's anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela died on Monday at the age of 81 following a long illness

Winnie Mandela was the former wife of South Africa's revolutionary leader Nelson Mandela.

“She died after a long illness, for which she had been in and out of hospital since the start of the year,” Victor Dlamini, Winnie's family spokesman, said in a statement.

“She succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones,” reports Reuters quoting the statement.

The couple, Mandela and Winnie, were a symbol of the anti-apartheid struggle for nearly three decades.

However, in later years her reputation became tainted legally and politically.