Phillips mourns Winnie Mandela

People's National Party (PNP) President Dr Peter Phillips is saddened by the death of Winnie Mandela, South African freedom fighter and ex-wife of the late Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president.

In release from the PNP, Phillips hailed Winnie Mandela as an outstanding figure in the fight against apartheid.

She was head of the African National Congress' Women's League, a role which positioned her into direct conflict with the racist government of the day and put her life under direct threat for many years.

"She was unflinching in her quest to rid South Africa of the system of hate based on racial lines that segregated, brutalised and murdered thousands of black South Africans," the release stated.

The PNP president said Winnie Mandela was the face of strength, courage and resilience as she stood against the pressures imposed by a brutal and hostile government.

He said she became the global symbol of a woman of purpose as she encapsulated the passion and determination of the African National Congress (ANC) in the heights of the anti-apartheid struggle, when the top-tier leadership, including her husband Nelson Mandela, was imprisoned or in exile.

RIGHTEOUS WARRIOR

"Winnie Mandela held several government positions during her political life and history will name her as a righteous warrior in the fight for freedom of the South African people from the hateful and deathly grip of apartheid," the release said.

The PNP said it would continue to treasure memories of Mandelas' visit to Jamaica in the 1990s, where both Winnie and the newly elected President Nelson Mandela were warmly received by the nation.

Phillips and the party expressed condolences to the Mandela family, the ANC and the people of South Africa.