“A woman of uncommon determination” – Buhari, Ramaphosa eulogise Winnie Mandela
Tributes to Winnie Mandela, a prominent role player in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, continue to pour in.
Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari has joined in the eulogy of the icon.
Buhari, in a statement released by his spokesperson on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu on Monday evening, described Winnie Mandela as a huge loss to Africa.
Buhari also hailed her as “a woman of uncommon determination, steadfastness and perseverance who held aloft the torch of the struggle against institutionalised discrimination even while her ex-husband, the late Madiba, President Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.”
The president, on behalf of the government and Nigerians, commiserated with the family of the deceased as well as the government and people of South Africa.
He urged the country to find solace in the fact that Winnie’s contributions to ending apartheid will not be forgotten.
Buhari said she remained “a pride not only to the African woman but indeed all Africans.”
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, also said in a televised address to the nation that Winnie Mandela “was a voice of defiance and resistance.”
“In the face of exploitation, she was a champion of justice and equality,” he said. “She was an abiding symbol of the desire of our people to be free.”
